JP7540474B2 - Gaming Machines - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to gaming machines such as pachinko machines.

Conventionally, there have been gaming machines in which a gaming medium is fired by a firing means into a gaming area provided with multiple winning ports, and when the gaming medium enters one of the winning ports, a predetermined number of gaming media for the winning port is paid out to the player (for example, Patent Document 1).
In this type of gaming machine, there is known a gaming machine that is provided with a plurality of predetermined detection means for detecting gaming media that have entered corresponding winning slots, a gaming value granting means that is electrically connected to the plurality of predetermined detection means and executes a process for granting a gaming value for a game, and a processing execution means that is electrically connected to the gaming value granting means and executes a predetermined process. The gaming value granting means stores in advance reference information that is used in the process for granting a gaming value for a game and is referenced for detection by the predetermined detection means. This reference information differs for each model of gaming machine.

JP 2003-340046 A

On the other hand, while the processing execution means is also required to execute predetermined processing based on this reference information, from the standpoint of facilitating manufacturing, there was a demand for the processing execution means not to pre-store reference information that differs depending on the model at the time of manufacturing.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and aims to provide a gaming machine in which reference information, which differs for each model and is used in a game value granting means for processing to grant game value for a game, and which is referenced for detection by a specified detection means, is electrically connected to the game value granting means and can be used without having to be stored in advance in a processing execution means that executes the specified processing .

In order to achieve this object, the gaming machine described in claim 1 comprises a launching means, a flow-down area into which the gaming balls launched by the launching means flow, a plurality of predetermined detection means for detecting gaming balls that have passed through a predetermined area of the flow-down area, a gaming ball guiding member provided corresponding to a part of the predetermined area and controlling the passage of the gaming ball to the corresponding predetermined area, a gaming value granting means electrically connected to the plurality of predetermined detection means and executing a process for granting a gaming value for a game, an granting means for granting a gaming ball as the gaming value, and a control means electrically connected to the gaming value granting means. and a processing execution means for executing a predetermined process for indicating a game value to be awarded based on information related to the passage of a game ball into the predetermined area where the game ball guide member is provided, without transmitting or receiving a control signal to or from the awarding means, wherein the game value awarding means includes a first reference information storage means for storing reference information to be referenced in response to detection by the predetermined detection means, which is information used in a process for awarding a game value for the game, and a specific reference information storage means for storing a specific reference information for progressing a game after a predetermined supply of power to the gaming machine has started. The game device includes a first transmitting means for transmitting a reference information signal corresponding to the reference information stored in the first reference information storage means to the processing execution means before starting execution of a process, and a second transmitting means for transmitting a predetermined information signal based on ball entry information, which is information acquired based on detection by the predetermined detection means, to the processing execution means, wherein the processing execution means includes a second reference information storage means for storing reference information corresponding to the reference information signal transmitted from the game value granting means, an execution means for executing the predetermined processing based on the predetermined information signal transmitted from the second transmitting means and the reference information stored in the second reference information storage means, a processing result information storage means for storing processing result information, which is information regarding the processing result of the predetermined processing by the execution means, and a display control means for controlling a predetermined display means based on the processing result information, wherein the game value granting means and the processing execution means are each constructed using integrated circuits integrated on different semiconductor chips, and when power is cut off, the second reference information storage means may lose the reference information it has stored.

According to the gaming machine of the present invention, there are provided a launching means, a flow-down area into which the gaming balls launched by the launching means flow, a plurality of predetermined detection means for detecting gaming balls that have passed through a predetermined area of the flow-down area, a gaming ball guiding member provided corresponding to a part of the predetermined area and controlling the passage of the gaming balls to the corresponding predetermined area, a gaming value granting means electrically connected to the plurality of predetermined detection means and executing a process for granting a gaming value for a game, an granting means for granting a gaming ball as the gaming value, and a control signal transmission and reception means electrically connected to the gaming value granting means and for transmitting and receiving a control signal to and from the granting means. and a processing execution means for executing a predetermined process for indicating a game value to be awarded based on information related to the passage of the game ball into the predetermined area in which the game ball guiding member is provided, without performing any of the above steps. The game value awarding means includes a first reference information storage means for storing reference information to be referenced in response to detection by the predetermined detection means, the reference information being used in the process for awarding a game value for the game, and a processing execution means for executing a predetermined process for indicating a game value to be awarded based on information related to the passage of the game ball into the predetermined area in which the game ball guiding member is provided, without performing any of the above steps. The game value awarding means includes a first reference information storage means for storing reference information to be referenced in response to detection by the predetermined detection means after a predetermined supply of power to the gaming machine has started and before starting execution of a specific process for progressing the game , the first reference information storage means storing a first transmitting means for transmitting a reference information signal corresponding to the stored reference information to the processing execution means, and a second transmitting means for transmitting a predetermined information signal based on ball entry information, which is information acquired based on detection by the predetermined detection means, to the processing execution means, wherein the processing execution means comprises: a second reference information storage means for storing reference information corresponding to the reference information signal transmitted from the game value granting means; an execution means for executing the predetermined processing based on the predetermined information signal transmitted from the second transmitting means and the reference information stored in the second reference information storage means; a processing result information storage means for storing processing result information, which is information regarding the processing result of the predetermined processing by the execution means; and a display control means for controlling a predetermined display means based on the processing result information, wherein the game value granting means and the processing execution means are each constructed using integrated circuits integrated on different semiconductor chips, and when power is cut off, the second reference information storage means may lose the reference information stored therein, thereby providing the effect that the reference information can be used without being previously stored in the processing execution means.

1 is a front view of a pachinko machine according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a front view of the game board of a pachinko machine. FIG. 2 is a rear view of the pachinko machine. 1A is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of area division settings and effective line settings on a display screen, and FIG. 1B is a diagram showing an example of an actual display screen. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the pachinko machine. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the main control device. This is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of various counters, reserved ball storage area, and reserved ball execution area. (a) is a diagram showing a schematic example of a jackpot random number table, (b) is a diagram showing a schematic example of a jackpot type table, (c) is a diagram showing a schematic example of a jackpot fluctuation pattern table when the number of reserved balls is 2, (d) is a diagram showing a schematic example of a miss (normal) fluctuation pattern table when the number of reserved balls is 2, and (e) is a diagram showing a schematic example of a miss (high probability) fluctuation pattern table when the number of reserved balls is 2. A diagram showing a schematic example of a prize ball number table. 5 is a flowchart showing a timer interrupt process executed by an MPU in the main control device. 10 is a flowchart showing a switch reading process executed by an MPU in the main control device. A flowchart showing the start winning processing executed by the MPU in the main control unit. 4 is a flowchart showing a variation process executed by an MPU in the main control device. 13 is a flowchart showing the fluctuation start processing executed by the MPU in the main control device. 5 is a flowchart showing an NMI interrupt process executed by an MPU in a main control device. 5 is a flowchart showing a start-up process executed by an MPU in the main control device. 4 is a flowchart showing main processing executed by an MPU in the main control device. 13 is a flowchart showing the main processing for controlling the ratio of reels executed by the reel ratio management chip in the main control unit. 13 is a flowchart showing a part of the setting information receiving process executed by the role ratio management chip in the main control unit. 13 is a flowchart showing a part of the setting information receiving process executed by the role ratio management chip in the main control unit. 13 is a flowchart showing a reel ratio calculation process executed by the reel ratio management chip in the main control unit. 13 is a flowchart showing the inspection result output process executed by the feature ratio management chip in the main control unit. 11 is a flowchart showing a startup process executed by an MPU in the voice lamp control device. 4 is a flowchart showing a main process executed by an MPU in the voice lamp control device. 11 is a flowchart showing a command determination process executed by an MPU in a voice lamp control device. 13 is a flowchart showing the variable display processing executed by an MPU in a voice lamp control device. (a) is a flowchart showing main processing executed by an MPU in a display control device, (b) is a flowchart showing command interrupt processing executed by an MPU in a display control device, and (c) is a flowchart showing V interrupt processing executed by an MPU in a display control device. FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of a main control device in a second embodiment. This is a flowchart showing the winning information storage process executed by the bonus ratio management chip in the main control unit. 13 is a flowchart showing the inspection result output process executed by the feature ratio management chip in the main control unit.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. First, a first embodiment of the present invention applied to a pachinko gaming machine (hereinafter simply referred to as a "pachinko machine") 10 will be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 26. Fig. 1 is a front view of the pachinko machine 10 in this embodiment, Fig. 2 is a front view of the game board 13 of the pachinko machine 10, and Fig. 3 is a rear view of the pachinko machine 10.

As shown in Figure 1, the pachinko machine 10 comprises an outer frame 11, the outer shell of which is formed by wooden frames assembled into a roughly rectangular shape, and an inner frame 12, which is formed to roughly the same external shape as the outer frame 11 and is supported so as to be openable and closable relative to the outer frame 11. Metal hinges 18 are attached to the outer frame 11 at two locations, top and bottom, on the left side when viewed from the front (see Figure 1), in order to support the inner frame 12, and the inner frame 12 is supported so as to be openable and closable towards the front, with the side where the hinges 18 are provided serving as the axis for opening and closing.

A game board 13 (see FIG. 2) having numerous nails and winning holes 63a, 63b, 64a, 64b, 65a, etc. is attached to the inner frame 12 so that it can be detached from the back side. A pinball game is played by balls flowing down the front of the game board 13. The inner frame 12 is also fitted with a ball launching unit 112a (see FIG. 5) that launches balls into the front area of the game board 13, and a launch rail (not shown) that guides the balls launched from the ball launching unit 112a to the front area of the game board 13.

On the front side of the inner frame 12, a front frame 14 that covers the upper side of the front and a lower tray unit 15 that covers the lower side are provided. Metal hinges 19 are attached to the top and bottom of the left side when viewed from the front (see FIG. 1) to support the front frame 14 and the lower tray unit 15, and the front frame 14 and the lower tray unit 15 are supported so that they can be opened and closed toward the front side with the side where the hinges 19 are provided as the axis of opening and closing. The locking of the inner frame 12 and the locking of the front frame 14 are released by inserting a special key into the keyhole 21 of the cylinder lock 20 and performing a specified operation. The pachinko machine 10 is provided with a door opening switch 208g (see FIG. 6) that detects when either the inner frame 12 or the front frame 14 is unlocked and opened (the door is opened).

The front frame 14 is fitted with decorative resin parts, electrical parts, etc., and has a window 14c formed in a roughly elliptical shape at approximately the center. A glass unit 16 having two glass plates is disposed on the back side of the front frame 14, and the front of the game board 13 can be seen from the front side of the pachinko machine 10 through the glass unit 16.

The front frame 14 has an upper tray 17 for storing balls that juts out forward and is formed in a roughly box-like shape with an open top, and prize balls and loan balls are discharged into this upper tray 17. The bottom surface of the upper tray 17 is formed with a downward slope to the right when viewed from the front (see Figure 1), and this slope guides balls dropped into the upper tray 17 to the ball launching unit 112a. In addition, a frame button 22 is provided on the left side of the top surface of the upper tray 17 when viewed from the front.

The frame button 22 is a button that is pressed by the player when, for example, changing the stage of the performance displayed on the third symbol display device 81 (see FIG. 2) described below. The frame button 22 is also used as an operation button for allowing the player to select the performance content in the so-called super reach, which is one type of variable performance.

The variable effect is an effect displayed on the third symbol display device 81, and as described below, is executed when a ball shot into the front area of the game board 13 enters a specific winning hole (second starting hole 64b described below; see Figure 2) (starting winning). After the pattern (third pattern described below) is displayed in a variable manner for a predetermined period of time, the player is presented with the result of a lottery (whether it is a jackpot or not) held for that starting winning, based on the combination of patterns that are displayed in a stopped state.

A stage is a presentation mode that provides uniformity to the various presentations displayed on the third symbol display device 81, and this pachinko machine 10 has three stages: the "town stage," the "sky stage," and the "island stage." Various presentations, such as the above-mentioned variable presentations and the reach presentations that are executed during the variable presentations, are designed to be performed according to the theme given to each stage.

The stage changes when the player presses the frame button 22 during a period when no change performance is taking place, or during a high-speed change in which the third symbol is displayed changing at high speed and cannot be seen by the player. Each time the frame button 22 is pressed, the stage is changed repeatedly in the following order: "town stage" → "empty stage" → "island stage" → "town stage" → ... In addition, immediately after the power is turned on, the "town stage" is set as the initial stage.

In addition, when a normal reach presentation is started in the variable presentation performed by the third pattern display device 81, when the normal reach develops into a super reach, a selection screen for the presentation mode of the super reach is displayed on the third pattern display device 81 during the normal reach.

On the selection screen, multiple presentation mode candidates that can be selected as the presentation mode of the Super Reach are displayed, and one of the presentation mode candidates is selected. If the player presses the frame button 22 while the selection screen is displayed, the selected presentation mode candidate is changed. Then, the presentation mode of the Super Reach is determined based on the presentation mode candidate that was selected when the Super Reach developed, and the Super Reach is executed on the third pattern display device 81 according to that presentation mode.

In this embodiment, the frame button 22 is configured as a button to be pressed, but instead of the frame button 22, it may be configured as an operation lever that can be tilted by the player in a predetermined direction relative to the pachinko machine 10 (for example, forward, backward, right, or left relative to the pachinko machine 10). Then, based on the direction in which the operation lever is tilted, the performance stage may be selected or the performance mode of the super reach may be selected.

The front frame 14 is provided with various light-emitting means such as lamps around its periphery (for example, corners). These light-emitting means change and control the light-emitting state by lighting or blinking in response to changes in the game state such as when a jackpot is hit or when a certain reach is reached, and play a role in enhancing the presentation effect during the game. The periphery of the window portion 14c is provided with illumination units 29-33 incorporating illumination units such as LEDs. In the pachinko machine 10, these illumination units 29-33 function as presentation lamps such as jackpot lamps, and when a jackpot is hit or when a reach is reached, each illumination unit 29-33 lights up or blinks due to the built-in LEDs lighting up or blinking, thereby notifying that a jackpot is being hit or that the player is in the reach just before a jackpot. In addition, an indicator lamp 34 incorporating illumination units such as LEDs and capable of indicating when prize balls are being paid out and when an error has occurred is provided at the upper left of the front frame 14 when viewed from the front.

A small window 35 is formed by attaching transparent resin to the underside of the right-side illumination section 32 from the back side so that the back side of the front frame 14 can be seen, and the certificate stamps and the like affixed to the attachment space K1 (see Figure 2) on the front of the game board 13 can be seen from the front of the pachinko machine 10. In addition, in the pachinko machine 10, a plated member 36 made of chrome-plated ABS resin is attached to the area around the illumination sections 29-33 to create a more dazzling appearance.

The ball lending operation unit 40 is disposed below the window 14c. The ball lending operation unit 40 is provided with a number display unit 41, a ball lending button 42, and a return button 43. When the ball lending operation unit 40 is operated with bills, cards, etc. inserted into the card unit (ball lending unit) (not shown) located on the side of the pachinko machine 10, balls are lent out in accordance with the operation. Specifically, the number display unit 41 is an area where the remaining balance information of the card, etc. is displayed, and the built-in LED lights up to display the remaining balance in numbers as the remaining balance information. The ball lending button 42 is operated to obtain loan balls based on the information recorded on the card, etc. (recording medium), and loan balls are supplied to the upper tray 17 as long as there is a remaining balance on the card, etc. The return button 43 is operated when requesting the return of the card, etc. inserted into the card unit.

In pachinko machines where balls are directly dispensed from a ball dispensing device to the upper tray 17 without going through a card unit, i.e., so-called cash machines, the ball dispensing operation unit 40 is not necessary. In this case, a decorative sticker or the like may be added to the installation area of the ball dispensing operation unit 40 to make the parts configuration common. It is possible to standardize pachinko machines that use a card unit and cash machines.

The lower tray unit 15, located below the upper tray 17, has a lower tray 50 in the center, which is formed in a roughly box-like shape with an open top, for storing balls that could not be stored in the upper tray 17. On the right side of the lower tray 50, an operating handle 51 is arranged, which is operated by the player to shoot balls into the front of the game board 13. Inside the operating handle 51, there is built-in a touch sensor 51a for permitting the operation of the ball launching unit 112a, a push-button type shooting stop switch 51b that stops the shooting of balls while it is being pressed, and a variable resistor (not shown) that detects the amount of rotation of the operating handle 51 by changes in electrical resistance.

When the operating handle 51 is rotated clockwise by the player, the touch sensor 51a is turned on and the resistance value of the variable resistor changes in accordance with the amount of rotation, and the ball is launched with a strength corresponding to the resistance value of the variable resistor, which changes according to the amount of rotation of the operating handle 51, thereby shooting the ball into the front of the game board 13 with a flight distance corresponding to the player's operation. The interval between ball launches from the ball launching unit 112a is set to approximately 0.6 seconds. Furthermore, when the operating handle 51 is not being operated by the player, the touch sensor 51a and the shot stop switch 51b are off.

A ball removal lever 52 is provided on the lower front part of the lower tray 50 to be operated when discharging the balls stored in the lower tray 50 downward. This ball removal lever 52 is always biased to the right, and by sliding it to the left against this bias, the bottom opening formed on the bottom surface of the lower tray 50 opens, and the balls fall naturally from the bottom opening and are discharged. This ball removal lever 52 is usually operated with a box (commonly called a "senryo box") placed below the lower tray 50 to receive the balls discharged from the lower tray 50. As mentioned above, the operating handle 51 is disposed on the right side of the lower tray 50, and an ashtray 53 is attached to the left side of the lower tray 50.

2, the game board 13 is constructed by assembling a number of nails, windmills and rails 61, 62 for guiding balls, the first normal winning opening 63a, the second normal winning opening 63b, the first starting opening 64a, the second starting opening 64b, the variable winning device 65, the through gate 67, the variable display unit 80, etc., on a wooden base board 60 machined into a roughly square shape when viewed from the front, and the peripheral portion is attached to the back side of the inner frame 12. The first normal winning opening 63a, the second normal winning opening 63b, the first starting opening 64a, the second starting opening 64b, the variable winning device 65, and the variable display unit 80 are arranged in through holes formed in the base board 60 by router processing, and are fixed from the front side of the game board 13 with wood screws or the like. In addition, the front center portion of the game board 13 can be viewed from the front side of the inner frame 12 through the window portion 14c (see FIG. 1) of the front frame 14. Below, the configuration of the game board 13 will be explained, mainly with reference to Figure 2.

An outer rail 62 formed by bending a strip-shaped metal plate into an approximately arc shape is set up on the front of the game board 13, and an arc-shaped inner rail 61 formed from a strip-shaped metal plate like the outer rail 62 is set up inside the outer rail 62. The inner rail 61 and outer rail 62 surround the front periphery of the game board 13, and the game board 13 and glass unit 16 (see Figure 1) surround the front and back, forming a game area on the front of the game board 13 where games are played based on the behavior of the ball. The game area is an approximately circular area (an area where winning holes and the like are arranged and where shot balls flow down) on the front of the game board 13, partitioned by the two rails 61, 62 and the arc member 70.

The two rails 61, 62 are provided to guide the ball launched from the ball launching unit 112a (see FIG. 5) to the top of the game board 13. A return ball prevention member 68 is attached to the tip of the inner rail 61 (upper left in FIG. 2), which prevents the ball once guided to the top of the game board 13 from returning to the ball guide passage again. A return rubber 69 is attached to the tip of the outer rail 62 (upper right in FIG. 2) at a position corresponding to the maximum flight part of the ball, and a ball launched with a certain amount of force or more hits the return rubber 69 and bounces back to the center while reducing its force. In addition, between the tip of the lower right side of the inner rail 61 and the tip of the upper right side of the outer rail 62, a resin arc member 70 formed with an arc on the inner side connecting the rails is driven into the base plate 60 and fixed.

At the upper right side of the play area when viewed from the front (upper right side of Figure 2), a first symbol display device 37 is provided, which is equipped with multiple light emitting diodes (hereinafter abbreviated as "LEDs") 37a, which serve as light emitting means, and a seven-segment display 37b. The first symbol display device 37 displays according to the various controls performed by the main control device 110, which will be described later, and mainly displays the play status of the pachinko machine 10.

The LEDs 37a indicate the change display that is performed when a ball enters either the first start hole 64a or the second start hole 64b (start winning) by the lighting state of the LEDs 37a, and indicate the pattern corresponding to the result of the lottery performed for the start winning as the stopping pattern after the change display ends by the lighting state of the LEDs 37a, and indicate the number of reserved balls, which is the number of balls that have entered the first start hole 64a or the second start hole 64b but have not yet been changed (reserved balls), by the lighting state of the LEDs 37a. The seven-segment display 37b displays the number of rounds during a jackpot and errors. The LEDs 37a are configured so that each LED has a different light color (e.g., red, green, blue), and the combination of light colors can suggest various game states of the pachinko machine 10 with a small number of LEDs.

In addition, in this pachinko machine 10, when a ball enters the first starting hole 64a or the second starting hole 64b, a jackpot determination is made as to whether or not it is a jackpot (jackpot lottery), and if a jackpot is determined to be a jackpot, the type of jackpot is also determined. The types of jackpots that can be determined here include a 15R special jackpot, a 2R special jackpot, and a 15R regular jackpot.

The LED 37a not only indicates whether the result of the jackpot lottery is a jackpot or not as the stopping pattern after the fluctuation that occurs when the ball enters the first starting hole 64a or the second starting hole 64b, but also indicates a pattern according to the type of jackpot if a jackpot is found.

Here, a "15R special jackpot" refers to a special jackpot that transitions to a high probability state after a jackpot with a maximum number of rounds of 15, and a "2R special jackpot" refers to a special jackpot that transitions to a high probability state after a jackpot with a maximum number of rounds of 2. A "15R normal jackpot" refers to a jackpot that transitions to a low probability state after a jackpot with a maximum number of rounds of 15 and is in a time-saving state for a specified number of fluctuations (e.g., 100 fluctuations).

The "high probability state" refers to a state in which the probability of a subsequent jackpot increases as an added value after the end of a jackpot, that is, when the probability is fluctuating (during a high probability state), in other words, a gaming state in which it is easy to transition to a special gaming state (jackpot). In this embodiment, the high probability state (during a high probability state) includes a gaming state in which the probability of hitting the second symbol described below increases and it is easy for the ball to enter the second starting hole 64b.

On the other hand, the "low probability state" refers to a time when the probability of winning is not in a special state, and refers to a state in which the probability of winning a jackpot is normal, that is, the probability of winning a jackpot is lower than when the probability of winning a jackpot is in a special state. Also, the time-saving state (during time-saving state) within the "low probability state" refers to a game state in which the probability of winning a jackpot is normal, and the probability of winning a jackpot remains the same, but only the probability of winning the second symbol increases, making it easier for the ball to enter the second starting hole 64b.

In addition, instead of changing the probability of winning the second symbol, the time for which the electric role associated with the second start hole 64b is opened or the number of times the electric role is opened with one win with the second symbol may be changed according to the game state of the pachinko machine 10. Specifically, in the time-saving state, the time for which the electric role associated with the second start hole 64b is opened may be made longer than in a state other than the time-saving state, or the number of times the electric role is opened with one win may be made more than in a state other than the time-saving state. Also, in the time-saving state, at least two of the following may be performed simultaneously: increasing the probability of winning the second symbol, lengthening the time for which the electric role is opened, and increasing the number of times the electric role is opened.

The first normal winning hole 63a is located on the lower left side of the play area, and the second normal winning hole 63b is located on the lower right side of the play area. When a ball enters the first normal winning hole 63a, the first normal winning hole switch 208c (see FIG. 6) provided on the back side of the play board 13 is turned on, and eight balls are paid out as prize balls due to the first normal winning hole switch 208c being turned on. When a ball enters the second normal winning hole 63b, the second normal winning hole switch 208d (see FIG. 6) provided on the back side of the play board 13 is turned on, and eight balls are paid out as prize balls due to the second normal winning hole switch 208d being turned on. It should be noted that the number of winning balls when a ball enters the first normal winning opening 63a does not necessarily have to be the same as the number of winning balls when a ball enters the second normal winning opening 63b; for example, the former may be 6 balls and the latter 8 balls, etc.

A variable display unit 80 is provided in the center of the play area. The variable display unit 80 is provided with a third pattern display unit 81 and a second pattern display unit 83. The third pattern display unit 81 is configured with a liquid crystal display (hereinafter simply referred to as a "display unit") that performs a variable display (variable performance) of the third pattern in synchronization with the variable display in the first pattern display unit 37, triggered by a ball entering either the first start port 64a or the second start port 64b (start winning). The second pattern display unit 83 is provided with a second pattern display unit 83 that is configured with an LED that displays a variable display of the second pattern in response to the ball passing through the through gate 67. In addition, a center frame 86 is provided in the variable display unit 80 so as to surround the outer periphery of the third pattern display unit 81.

The third pattern display device 81 is configured with a large liquid crystal display, for example, 8 inches in size, and the display content is controlled by the display control device 114 (see Figure 5) described later, so that, for example, three rows of patterns, left, center, and right, are displayed.

Each symbol row is made up of multiple symbols, and these symbols are scrolled vertically for each symbol row, so that the third symbol is variably displayed on the display screen of the third symbol display device 81. In the pachinko machine 10, the game status is displayed in accordance with the control of the main control device 110 by the first symbol display device 37, while a decorative display corresponding to the display of the first symbol display device 37 is performed by the third symbol display device 81. Note that instead of a display device, the third symbol display device 81 may be configured using, for example, a reel or the like.

Here, the display contents of the third pattern display device 81 will be explained with reference to Figure 4. Figure 4 is a drawing for explaining the display screen of the third pattern display device 81, where Figure 4(a) is a diagram that shows a schematic diagram of the area division settings and the effective line settings of the display screen, and Figure 4(b) is a diagram that shows an example of the actual display screen.

The third design is made up of 10 main designs numbered "0" to "9". Each main design is made up of a rear design of a wooden box with the numbers "0" to "9" added above it, and the main designs with odd numbers (1, 3, 5, 7, 9) have large numbers added to almost the entire front of the wooden box. In contrast, the main designs with even numbers (0, 2, 4, 6, 8) have additional designs imitating characters such as planes, furoshiki, and helmets added to almost the entire front of the wooden box, and even numbers are added in small green to the lower right of the additional designs so that they are displayed in front of the additional designs.

In addition, in the pachinko machine 10 of this embodiment, if the result of the lottery by the main control device 110 (see FIG. 5), which will be described later, is a jackpot, a variable display (variable presentation) is performed in which the same main symbols are lined up on the effective line L1, and the jackpot occurs after the variable display ends. If a transition to a high probability state (high probability state) occurs after the jackpot ends, a variable display is performed in which main symbols with odd numbers (corresponding to "high probability symbols") are lined up on the effective line L1. On the other hand, if a transition to a low probability state occurs after the jackpot ends, a variable display is performed in which main symbols with even numbers (corresponding to "low probability symbols") are lined up on the effective line L1.

As shown in FIG. 4(a), the display screen of the third pattern display device 81 is roughly divided into two parts, top and bottom, with the bottom 2/3 being the main display area Dm that displays the third pattern (main pattern) in a variable manner (variable performance), and the remaining top 1/3 being the sub-display area Ds that displays preview performances, characters, etc. Also, in the center of the bottom base of the display screen of the third pattern display device 81, there is a reserved ball count display area Db that displays the number of reserved balls.

The main display area Dm is divided into three display areas Dm1 to Dm3, left, center, and right, with pattern row Z1 displayed in display area Dm1, pattern row Z2 displayed in display area Dm2, and pattern row Z3 displayed in display area Dm3.

In each of the symbol rows Z1 to Z3, the third symbols described above are displayed in a specified order. That is, in each of the symbol rows Z1 to Z3, the main symbols are arranged in ascending or descending numerical order, and the display changes by scrolling from top to bottom periodically for each of the symbol rows Z1 to Z3. In particular, in the left symbol row Z1, the numbers of the main symbols are arranged in descending order, and in the center symbol row Z2 and right symbol row Z3, the numbers of the main symbols are arranged in ascending order.

In addition, in the main display area Dm, the third symbols are displayed in three rows, top, middle, and bottom, for each of the symbol columns Z1 to Z3. The middle section of this main display area Dm is set as the active line L1, and with each variable performance, the third symbols are stopped and displayed on the active line L1 in the order of left symbol column Z1 → right symbol column Z3 → center symbol column Z2. If the third symbols stop on the active line L1 to form a jackpot symbol combination (a combination of the same main symbols), a jackpot video is displayed as a jackpot.

The sub-display area Ds is horizontally elongated and positioned above the main display area Dm, and is further divided into three equal small areas Ds1 to Ds3 in the left-right direction. The small areas Ds1 to Ds3 are areas for displaying characters and preview performance images, respectively. The images displayed in each of the small areas Ds1 to Ds3 give the player a sense of anticipation that a jackpot will result from the variable display performed in the main display area Dm. The reserved ball count display area Db is an area for displaying the number of reserved balls, which is the number of balls (reserved balls) that have entered the first start hole 64a and the second start hole 64b and for which the variable display (variable performance) has not yet been performed.

On the actual display screen, as shown in FIG. 4(b), a total of nine main symbols of the third design are displayed in the main display area Dm. In the sub-display area Ds, videos are displayed in the left small area Ds1 and the right small area Ds3, suggesting to the player that the state is easier to transition to a jackpot than usual. In the central small area Ds2, a predetermined character (in this embodiment, a boy wearing a headband) usually performs a predetermined action, and sometimes performs a special action other than the predetermined action, the boy's hair, which is usually black, or the color of his headband, which is usually white, changes, or another character appears, providing a preview performance.

On the other hand, if a ball enters the first starting hole 64a or the second starting hole 64b while a variable performance (variable display) is being performed by the third pattern display device 81 (first pattern display device 37), the number of balls that enter is reserved up to a maximum of four times. The number of reserved balls is displayed by the first pattern display device 37 and is also displayed in the reserved ball number display area Db. In the reserved ball number display area Db, one reserved ball number pattern (a "●" pattern) is displayed for each reserved ball, and the number of reserved balls is displayed according to the number of reserved ball number patterns displayed.

In other words, when one reserved ball number symbol is displayed in the reserved ball number display area Db, it indicates that the number of reserved balls is one, and when four reserved ball number symbols are displayed, it indicates that the number of reserved balls is four. Also, when no reserved ball number symbol is displayed in the reserved ball number display area Db, it indicates that the number of reserved balls is zero, that is, there are no reserved balls.

In this embodiment, the balls entering the first starting hole 64a and the second starting hole 64b are configured to be reserved up to a maximum of four times in total, but the maximum number of reserved balls is not limited to four times in total, and may be set to three or less, or five or more times (e.g., eight times). In addition, instead of displaying the reserved ball number pattern in the reserved ball number display area Db, the reserved ball number may be displayed as numbers in a part of the third pattern display device 81, or the four divided areas may be displayed in different forms (e.g., colors or lighting patterns) according to the number of reserved balls. In addition, since the number of reserved balls is indicated by the first pattern display device 37, the third pattern display device 81 may not display the number of reserved balls. Furthermore, the variable display device unit 80 may be provided with four reserved lamps indicating the number of reserved balls, the number being the maximum number of reserved balls, and the number of reserved balls may be displayed according to the number of reserved lamps that are lit.

Returning to FIG. 2, the explanation will continue. The second symbol display device 83 performs a variable display by alternately lighting a "circle" and an "x" as a display symbol (second symbol) each time the ball passes through the through gate 67. The pachinko machine 10 is configured such that when the variable display on the second symbol display device 83 stops at a predetermined symbol (in this embodiment, a "circle"), the electric device provided in the second starting hole 64b is activated (opened) for a predetermined period of time.

The number of times that a ball passes through the through gate 67 is reserved up to four times, and the number of reserved balls is displayed by the above-mentioned first pattern display device 37 and is also displayed by lighting the second pattern reservation lamp 84. There are four second pattern reservation lamps 84, the maximum number of reserved balls, and they are arranged symmetrically below the third pattern display device 81. The number of reserved balls is displayed by the number of lit second pattern reservation lamps 84.

The second pattern change display may be performed by switching on and off a plurality of lamps in the second pattern display device 83 as in this embodiment, or may be performed using a part of the first pattern display device 37 or the third pattern display device 81. Similarly, instead of turning on the second pattern reserved lamp 84, the second pattern change display may be performed by a part of the third pattern display device 81. In addition, the maximum number of reserved balls passing through the through gate 67 is not limited to four times, as in the second starting port 64b, but may be set to three times or less, or five times or more (e.g., eight times). In addition, since the number of reserved balls is indicated by the first pattern display device 37, the second pattern reserved lamp 84 may not be lit.

The first starting hole 64a is disposed below the variable display unit 80, and the second starting hole 64b is disposed below the first starting hole 64a. The first starting hole 64a has an opening facing upwards through which a ball can enter. The opening of the first starting hole 64a is always open and is in a state in which a ball can enter. When a ball enters the first starting hole 64a, the first starting hole switch 208a (see FIG. 6) provided on the back side of the game board 13 is turned on, and when the first starting hole switch 208a is turned on, a lottery for a jackpot is performed by the main control device 110 (see FIG. 5), and a display according to the lottery result is displayed by the LED 37a of the first pattern display device 37, and a variable performance of the third pattern is executed by the third pattern display device 81. The first starting hole 64a is also one of the winning holes from which three balls are paid out as prize balls when a ball enters it.

On the other hand, the second starting hole 64b is provided with an electric device having two blades that cover the opening through which the ball enters the second starting hole 64b. The electric device opens and closes the two blades to open (expand) or close (shrink) the second starting hole 64b. Normally, the second starting hole 64b is in a closed state with the blades of the electric device closed (standing upwards), making it impossible or difficult for the ball to enter the second starting hole 64b.

When the variable display on the second pattern display device 83 stops at the "○" pattern, the electric device in the second starting hole 64b is operated for a predetermined time. While the electric device is being operated, the blades of the electric device move from an upwardly raised state to an approximately V-shaped (inverted V-shape), and the second starting hole 64b is in an open state. When the second starting hole 64b is in an open state, the ball can enter the second starting hole 64b, or the ball can enter more easily than in a closed state. In other words, when the variable display on the second pattern display device 83 stops at the "○" pattern, which is a win, and the second starting hole 64b is in an open state, the ball can enter the second starting hole 64b, allowing for more jackpot draws to be held.

When a ball enters the second starting hole 64b, the second starting hole switch 208b (not shown) located on the back side of the game board 13 is turned on, and when the second starting hole switch 208b is turned on, a lottery for a jackpot is held by the main control device 110 (see FIG. 5), and a display according to the lottery result is shown on the LED 37a of the first pattern display device 37, and a variable performance of the third pattern is executed by the third pattern display device 81. The second starting hole 64b is also one of the winning holes from which two balls are paid out as prize balls when a ball enters it.

A variable winning device 65 is disposed below the second starting hole 64b, and a horizontally long rectangular large winning hole (also called a large opening hole or a specific winning hole) 65a is disposed in the approximate center of the device. In the pachinko machine 10, when the lottery by the main control device 110 results in a jackpot, after a predetermined time (variable time) has elapsed, the LED 37a of the first symbol display device 37 is turned on to show the jackpot stop pattern, and the stop pattern corresponding to the jackpot is displayed on the third symbol display device 81, indicating the occurrence of the jackpot. After that, the game state transitions to a special game state (jackpot) in which balls are more likely to win. In this special game state, the large winning hole 65a, which is normally closed, is opened for a predetermined time (for example, until 30 seconds have elapsed, or until 10 balls have won).

This large prize opening 65a is closed after a predetermined time has elapsed, and after that closure, the large prize opening 65a is opened again for a predetermined time. The opening and closing operation of this large prize opening 65a can be repeated up to, for example, 15 times (15 rounds).

Specifically, the variable prize winning device 65 comprises a horizontally long rectangular opening/closing plate that covers the large prize winning opening 65a, and a large prize winning opening solenoid (not shown) that drives the opening/closing plate to open and close forward around the lower edge of the opening/closing plate. The large prize winning opening 65a is normally in a closed state in which balls cannot or do not easily win. In the event of a big win, the large prize winning opening solenoid is driven to tilt the opening/closing plate downward toward the front, temporarily creating an open state in which it is easy for balls to win the large prize winning opening 65a, and the device operates to alternate between this open state and the normal closed state.

When a ball enters the large prize opening 65a, the large prize opening switch 208e (see FIG. 6) on the back side of the game board 13 is turned on, and the number of times the large prize opening switch 208e is turned on is counted to count the number of balls that have entered the large prize opening 65a, and the closing conditions of the large prize opening 65a are determined. In addition, 12 balls are paid out as prize balls due to the large prize opening switch 208e being turned on. Then, by repeatedly opening and closing the large prize opening 65a due to a jackpot, it becomes easier for many balls to enter the large prize opening 65a, and a larger number of prize balls than usual are paid out to the player as a grant of game value (game value). This state is one form of a special game state that is advantageous to the player.

The special game state is not limited to the above-mentioned form. A specific winning opening and a large opening that opens and closes separately from the specific winning opening may be provided in the game area, and when the LED 37a corresponding to a big win is lit in the first pattern display device 37, the specific winning opening is opened for a predetermined time, and while the specific winning opening is open, the ball entering the specific winning opening triggers the large opening to be opened for a predetermined time and a predetermined number of times, forming a game state that serves as a special game state.

Through gates 67 are provided on the left and right sides of the variable display unit 80. Through gates 67 have vertical through holes (not shown) for the ball to pass through. When a ball is shot into the play area and passes through through gate 67, a through gate switch (not shown) provided in the through hole turns on, which causes the main control device 110 to draw a winning lottery for the second symbol (also called the normal symbol).

If the second symbol (normal symbol) is selected for the ball that passed through the through gate 67 and determined to be a winning symbol, the second symbol is displayed in a varying manner on the second symbol display device 83, and then the "○" symbol is displayed stationary, after which the electric device in the second starting hole 64b is activated. As a result, the blades of the electric device, which make it difficult for the ball to enter the second starting hole 64b, move from a substantially vertically erected state to a substantially V-shape (inverted V-shape), allowing the ball to enter the second starting hole 64b for a specified period of time, or making it easier for the ball to enter compared to the closed state.

The left and right corners of the lower side of the game board 13 are provided with attachment spaces K1 and K2 for attaching stamps, identification labels, etc., and the stamps, etc. attached to the attachment space K1 can be seen through a small window 35 in the front frame 14 (see Figure 1).

The game board 13 is further provided with an outlet 66. Any balls that do not enter any of the winning holes 63a, 63b, 64a, 64b, 65a are guided through the outlet 66 to a ball discharge path (not shown). Any balls that enter the winning holes 63a, 63b, 64a, 64b, 65a are guided to the ball discharge path after passing through a switch for detecting balls that are provided for each winning hole. The balls guided to the ball discharge path pass through an out switch 208f (see FIG. 6) for detecting the guided balls, and are then discharged to the island equipment (not shown) on which the pachinko machine 10 is installed.

Here, a ball shot into the game area of the pachinko machine 10 always enters one of the winning holes 63a, 63b, 64a, 64b, 65a or the out hole 66. Therefore, balls that enter these winning holes 63a, 63b, 64a, 64b, 65a and the out hole 66 are guided to the ball discharge path and always pass through the out switch 208f. Therefore, by counting the number of balls detected by the out switch 208f, the number of balls shot into the game area (the number of balls used in the game) can be grasped. In addition, the out switch 208f detects balls that have actually passed through the game area and entered one of the winning holes 63a, 63b, 64a, 64b, 65a or the out hole 66. In other words, balls that were shot into the game area but got stuck somewhere in the game area and were not used in the game are not detected. Therefore, by counting the number of balls detected by the out switch 208f, it is possible to prevent balls that were not used in play from being counted as balls that were shot into the play area as a result of this.

The game board 13 has many nails planted in it to appropriately distribute and adjust the direction in which the balls fall, and various parts (gimmicks) such as windmills are also arranged on it.

As shown in FIG. 3, the rear side of the pachinko machine 10 is mainly equipped with control board units 90, 91 and a back pack unit 94. The control board unit 90 is unitized with a main board (main control device 110), a voice lamp control board (voice lamp control device 113) and a display control board (display control device 114). The control board unit 91 is unitized with a payout control board (payout control device 111), a launch control board (launch control device 112), a power supply board (power supply device 115) and a card unit connection board 116.

The back pack unit 94 is a unit consisting of the back pack 92, which forms the protective cover, and the payout unit 93. In addition, each control board is equipped with an MPU as a one-chip microcomputer that controls each part, ports for communicating with various devices, a random number generator used in various lotteries, a clock pulse generating circuit used for time counting and synchronization, etc. as necessary.

The main board is also provided with an inspection terminal 207a (see FIG. 5) to which an inspection device 300 can be connected, which inspects the performance of the gaming machine, such as the ratio of game features. The inspection terminal 207a is normally covered by the rear pack 92 of the rear pack unit 94, and is revealed by opening the rear pack 92. However, the rear pack 92 may be provided with an opening for the inspection terminal 207a, and the inspection terminal 207a may be exposed from the opening. When the connector of the cable connected to the inspection device 300 is inserted into the inspection terminal 207a, the inspection device 300 can inspect the gaming performance of the pachinko machine 10, such as the ratio of game features.

The main control device 110, the voice lamp control device 113 and the display control device 114, the payout control device 111 and the launch control device 112, the power supply device 115, and the card unit connection board 116 are each stored in the board boxes 100-104. The board boxes 100-104 each include a box base and a box cover that covers the opening of the box base, and the box base and the box cover are connected to each other to store the respective control devices and boards.

The board box 100 (main control device 110) and the board box 102 (dispensing control device 111 and launch control device 112) are connected to the box base and box cover by a sealing unit (not shown) so that they cannot be opened (connected by a crimping structure). A sealing seal (not shown) is attached to the connection between the box base and the box cover, spanning the box base and the box cover. This sealing seal is made of a brittle material, and if you try to peel off the sealing seal to open the board box 100, 102 or forcefully open the board box 100, 102, it will be cut into the box base side and the box cover side. Therefore, by checking the sealing unit or sealing seal, you can know whether the board box 100, 102 has been opened.

The payout unit 93 is equipped with a tank 130 located at the top of the back pack unit 94 and opening upward, a tank rail 131 connected to the bottom of the tank 130 and gently sloping toward the downstream side, a case rail 132 connected vertically to the downstream side of the tank rail 131, and a payout device 133 provided at the most downstream part of the case rail 132, which pays out balls using a specified electrical configuration of a payout motor 216 (see Figure 5). The tank 130 is successively replenished with balls supplied from the island equipment of the game hall, and the payout device 133 pays out the required number of balls as appropriate. A vibrator 134 is attached to the tank rail 131 to impart vibration to the tank rail 131.

The payout control device 111 is also provided with a state recovery switch 120, the firing control device 112 with a variable resistor control knob 121, and the power supply device 115 with a RAM erase switch 122. The state recovery switch 120 is operated to clear ball jams (return to normal state) when a payout error occurs, such as ball jamming in the payout motor 216 (see FIG. 5). The control knob 121 is operated to adjust the firing force of the firing solenoid. The RAM erase switch 122 is operated when the power is turned on to return the pachinko machine 10 to its initial state.

Next, the electrical configuration of the pachinko machine 10 will be described with reference to FIG. 5. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the pachinko machine 10.

The main control device 110 is equipped with an MPU 201, which is a one-chip microcomputer that is a calculation device. The MPU 201 contains a ROM 202 that stores various control programs and fixed value data executed by the MPU 201, a RAM 203 that is a memory for temporarily storing various data when executing the control programs stored in the ROM 202, and various other circuits such as an interrupt circuit, a timer circuit, and a data transmission/reception circuit.

The main control device 110 executes the main processes of the pachinko machine 10, such as the lottery for the big win, the setting of the variable display (variable presentation) on the first pattern display device 37 and the third pattern display device 81, and the lottery for the display result on the second pattern display device 83. The main processes of this pachinko machine 10 are executed by the MPU 201, and the RAM 203 is provided with a counter buffer that stores various counters for controlling these processes.

The NMI terminal (non-maskable interrupt terminal) of the MPU 201 is configured to receive a power failure signal SG1 from the power failure monitoring circuit 252 when the power is cut off due to a power failure or the like. When the power failure signal SG1 is input to the MPU 201, the NMI interrupt process (see FIG. 15) is immediately executed as a power failure process.

The MPU 201 is connected to an input/output port 205 via a bus line 204 consisting of an address bus and a data bus. The input/output port 205 is connected to the payout control device 111, the sound lamp control device 113, the first pattern display device 37, the second pattern display device 83, the second pattern hold lamp 84, and solenoids 209 consisting of a large prize opening solenoid for driving the large prize opening 65a to open and close forward around the lower edge of the opening/closing plate as an axis, and a solenoid for driving the electric role-playing device, and the MPU 201 transmits various commands and control signals to these via the input/output port 205.

In addition, in order to instruct the sub-control devices such as the dispensing control device 111 and the voice lamp control device 113 to operate, various commands are sent from the main control device 110 to the sub-control devices via a data transmission/reception circuit, but such commands are sent only in one direction, from the main control device 110 to the sub-control devices.

The input/output port 205 is also connected to various switches 208, which are made up of a group of switches and sensors including various switches for detecting balls that have entered each winning port and balls that have been guided to the ball discharge path through each winning port and outlet port, and a RAM erase switch circuit 253 (described below) provided in the power supply unit 115. The MPU 201 executes various processes based on the signals output from the various switches 208 and the RAM erase signal SG2 output from the RAM erase switch circuit 253.

The main control device 110 is provided with a feature ratio management chip that manages information related to feature ratios in the pachinko machine 10. The feature ratio management chip 207 is a microchip (integrated circuit) that is connected to the MPU 201 via a signal line 206, receives information necessary for managing feature ratios from the MPU 201, processes the received information, and stores it to manage information related to feature ratios in the pachinko machine 10.

The inspection terminal 207a is connected to the feature ratio management chip 207. The inspection terminal 207a is configured to be connectable to an external inspection device 300 that inspects the performance of the gaming machine, such as the feature ratio. When the inspection device 300 is connected to the inspection terminal 207a via a cable and connector, information on the feature ratios managed by the feature ratio management chip 207 and other inspection information is transmitted to the inspection device 300. The inspection device 300 can determine whether the feature ratios of the pachinko machine 10 are within the normal range based on the information on the feature ratios received via the inspection terminal 207a.

Now, the detailed configuration of the main control device 110 will be described with reference to FIG. 6. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the main control device 110.

As described above, the input/output port 205 is connected to the RAM erase switch 253 as the input side, and to the solenoid 209, the first pattern display device 37, the second pattern display device 38, the second pattern hold lamp 84, the payout control device 111, and the voice lamp control device 113 as the output side. In addition, various switches 208 connected as the input side include a first start port switch 208a for detecting a ball that has entered the first start port 64a, a second start port switch 208b for detecting a ball that has entered the second start port 64b, and a second start port switch 208c for detecting a ball that has entered the first normal winning port 63a. A first normal winning port switch 208c for detecting balls that have won in the second normal winning port 63b, a second normal winning port switch 208d for detecting balls that have won in the second normal winning port 63b, a large winning port switch 208e for detecting balls that have won in the large winning port 65a, an out switch 208f for detecting balls that have won in each winning port 63a, 63b, 64a, 64b, 65a and balls that have entered the out port 66 and are guided to the ball discharge path, and a door opening switch 208g for detecting when at least one of the inner frame 12 and the front frame 13 is locked and opened are connected.

The input port 205 includes a start 1 port 205a to which the output of the first start port switch 208a is input, a start 2 port 205b to which the output of the second start port switch 208b is input, a normal 1 port 205c to which the output of the first normal prize port switch 208c is input, a normal 2 port 205d to which the output of the second normal prize port switch 208d is input, a large prize port port 205e to which the output of the large prize port switch 208e is input, an out port 205f to which the output of the out switch 208f is connected, and a door open port 205g to which the output of the door open switch 208g is connected.

During the timer interrupt process (see FIG. 10) that is executed every 2 milliseconds, the MPU 201 executes a switch read process (see FIG. 11) that checks the state of various switches. During the switch read process, the MPU 201 refers to the start 1 port 205a, start 2 port 205b, normal 1 port 205c, normal 2 port 205d, big prize opening port 205e, and out port 205f, determines whether there is a prize opening that has won and whether there is a ball guided to the ball discharge path, and counts the number of balls that have won at each prize opening and the number of balls that have been guided to the ball discharge path (i.e., the number of balls that have been shot into the game area) in 0.5 seconds. Then, the number of balls counted and the game state at that time (whether there is a big win, whether the inner frame 12 or the front frame 14 (so-called door) is open, whether there is an error state, etc.) are set in the role ratio management chip 207 every 0.5 seconds. The role management chip 207 calculates and manages the role ratio based on the number of each ball. Whether the inner frame 12 or the front frame 14 is open is determined by the MPU 201 referring to the door opening port 205g and checking the output of the door opening switch 208g.

The ROM 202 of the MPU 201 stores at least a jackpot random number table 202a, a jackpot type table 202b, a stop pattern table 202c, a variation pattern table 202d, a prize ball count table 202e, and trigger information data 202f. The main control device 110 executes the main processing of the pachinko machine 10 using various counters stored in the RAM 203 and various tables 202a to 203d stored in the ROM 202. The prize ball count table 202e and the trigger information data 202f are data used to manage the ratio of the prize balls in the prize ball ratio management chip 207, and are sent to the prize ball ratio management chip 207 when the main control device 110 is powered on.

Now, with reference to FIG. 7, we will explain the counters and the like provided in the RAM 203 of the main control device 110. These counters and the like are used by the MPU 201 of the main control device 110 to perform the jackpot lottery, set the variable display (variable presentation) of the first pattern display device 37 and the third pattern display device 81, and draw the display results of the second pattern display device 83. In addition, in the explanation of the various counters, with reference to FIG. 8, we will also explain the various tables 202a to 202d stored in the ROM 202 of the main control device 110.

To set the jackpot lottery and the variable display (variable presentation) of the first pattern display device 37 and the third pattern display device 81, the first jackpot random number counter C1 used for the jackpot lottery, the first jackpot type counter C2 used for selecting the jackpot pattern, the stop pattern selection counter C3, the variable type counter CS1 used for selecting the variable pattern, and the first initial value random number counter CINI1 used for setting the initial value of the first jackpot random number counter C1 are used.

The second winning random number counter C4 is used for the lottery of the second pattern display device 83, and the second initial value random number counter CINI2 is used for setting the initial value of the second winning random number counter C4. Each of these counters is a loop counter that adds 1 to the previous value each time it is updated and returns to 0 after reaching the maximum value.

Each counter is updated, for example, at 2 millisecond intervals, which is the execution interval of the timer interrupt process (see FIG. 10), and some counters are updated irregularly during the main process (see FIG. 17), and the updated values are appropriately stored in a counter buffer set in a predetermined area of the RAM 203. Details will be described later, but the RAM 203 is provided with a reserved ball storage area 203b consisting of four reserved areas (reserved areas 1 to 4), and each of these areas stores the values of the first winning random number counter C1, the first winning type counter C2, the stop pattern selection counter C3, and the variation type counter CS1 in accordance with the timing of the ball entering the first starting hole 64a and the second starting hole 64b.

Each counter will be explained in detail. The first hit random number counter C1 is configured to be incremented by one within a predetermined range (e.g., 0 to 899) and to return to 0 after it reaches a maximum value (e.g., 899 for a counter that can take values from 0 to 899). In addition, when the first hit random number counter C1 has completed one cycle of update, the value of the first initial value random number counter CINI1 at that time is read as the initial value of the first hit random number counter C1, and the first hit random number counter C1 is updated from that initial value.

The first initial value random number counter CINI1 is configured as a loop counter that is updated within the same range as the first hit random number counter C1. That is, for example, if the first hit random number counter C1 is a loop counter that can take values from 0 to 899, the first initial value random number counter CINI1 is also a loop counter with a range of 0 to 899. This first initial value random number counter CINI1 is updated once each time the timer interrupt process (see FIG. 10) is executed, and is repeatedly updated within the remaining time of the main process (see FIG. 17).

The value of the first winning random number counter C1 is updated periodically (once per timer interrupt processing in this embodiment), for example, and when a ball enters either the first starting hole 64a or the second starting hole 64b (starting winning), the value of the first winning random number counter C1 at that time is stored in the first winning random number counter storage area 203b1 of one of the reserved areas 1 to 4 provided in the reserved ball storage area 203b of the RAM 203. The random number value that results in a jackpot is set by the jackpot random number table 202a stored in the ROM 202 of the main control device, and a jackpot is determined to have occurred when the value of the first winning random number counter C1 stored in the reserved area matches the random number value that results in a jackpot set by the jackpot random number table 202a.

Now, referring to FIG. 8(a), the details of the jackpot random number table 202a will be described. FIG. 8(a) is a schematic diagram showing an example of the jackpot random number table 202a. The jackpot random number table 202a is divided into two types: one for a low probability state, which is used when the gaming state of the pachinko machine 10 is in a low probability state (period when it is not in a special probability state), and one for a high probability state, which is used when the gaming state of the pachinko machine 10 is in a high probability state (in a special probability state) in which the probability of a jackpot is higher than in a low probability state. The number of random numbers that result in a jackpot included in each of the low probability state and the high probability state is set differently. In this way, by making the number of random numbers that result in a jackpot different, the probability of a jackpot is changed between the low probability state and the high probability state.

The first win random number counter C1 in the pachinko machine 10 of this embodiment is configured as a 2-byte loop counter with a range of 0 to 899. In this first win random number counter C1, the number of random number values (jackpot random number values) that result in a jackpot in a low probability state is 3, and this value "7,307,582" is stored in the jackpot random number table 202a.

On the other hand, the number of random numbers (jackpot random number values) that will result in a jackpot in a high probability state is 30, and the values "28, 58, 85, 122, 144, 178, 213, 238, 276, 298, 322, 354, 390, 420, 448, 486, 506, 534, 567, 596, 618, 656, 681, 716, 750, 772, 809, 836, 866, 892" are stored in the jackpot random number table 202a.

In this embodiment, the jackpot random number values for the low probability state and the high probability state stored in the jackpot random number table 202a are set so that they do not overlap. If there is a value that will be a jackpot random number regardless of the state of the pachinko machine 10, this value will be easier to predict from the outside, which may increase the possibility of winning a jackpot illegally. In contrast, as in this embodiment, by changing the value of the random number that will be a jackpot depending on the state (i.e., whether the pachinko machine 10 is in a high probability state or a low probability state), the value of the random number that will be a jackpot can be made harder to predict, thereby preventing fraud.

Returning to FIG. 7, the explanation will be continued. The first winning type counter C2 determines the type of big win in the event of a big win, and is configured to be incremented by one within a predetermined range (for example, 0 to 99) and to return to 0 after reaching a maximum value (for example, 99 in the case of a counter that can take values from 0 to 99). The value of the first winning type counter C2 is updated, for example, periodically (once for each timer interrupt process in this embodiment), and when a ball enters either the first starting hole 64a or the second starting hole 64b (starting winning), the value of the first winning type counter C2 at that time is stored in the first winning type counter storage area 203b2 of the same reserved area in which the first winning random number counter C1 is stored, among the reserved areas 1 to 4 provided in the reserved ball storage area 203b of the RAM 203.

Here, if the value of the first win random number counter C1 stored in one of the reserved areas in the reserved ball storage area 203b is not a random number that results in a jackpot, in other words, if it is a random number that results in a miss, the variation pattern in the variable presentation and the type of stop pattern (hereinafter referred to as the "stop type") will be those for a miss. On the other hand, if the value of the first win random number counter C1 stored in one of the reserved areas in the reserved ball storage area 203b is a random number that results in a jackpot, the variation pattern in the variable presentation and the stop type will be those for a jackpot. In this case, the variation pattern and stop type for that jackpot are determined according to the jackpot type indicated by the value of the first win type counter C2 stored in the same reserved area.

The value of the first win type counter C2 in the pachinko machine 10 of this embodiment is configured as a loop counter in the range of 0 to 99. The jackpot type is determined based on this first win type counter C2 and the jackpot type table 202b stored in the ROM 202. Now, with reference to FIG. 8(b), the jackpot type table 202b will be explained. FIG. 8(b) is a diagram showing a schematic example of the jackpot type table 202b. As shown in FIG. 8(b), the jackpot type table 202b is a table that associates jackpot types with the value of the first win type counter C2.

As for the types of jackpots, as mentioned above, there are "15R sure-win jackpots" that transition to a high probability state after a jackpot with a maximum of 15 rounds, "15R normal jackpots" that transition to a low probability state after a jackpot with a maximum of 15 rounds and a time-saving state for 100 fluctuations, and "2R sure-win jackpots" that transition to a high probability state after a jackpot with a maximum of 2 rounds.

In the jackpot type table 202b, the value of the first jackpot type counter C2 that determines the jackpot type is associated with each jackpot type. In the example of FIG. 8(b), the value of the first jackpot type counter C2 "0 to 39" is associated with a 15R special jackpot, the value of the first jackpot type counter C2 "40 to 79" is associated with a 15R normal jackpot, and the value of the first jackpot type counter C2 "80 to 99" is associated with a 2R special jackpot.

When the value of the first win random number counter C1 is a value that results in a jackpot, the jackpot type associated with the value of the first win type counter C2 stored in the same reserved area is determined from the jackpot type table 202b. For example, if the value of the first win type counter C2 is "20", the jackpot type is determined to be "15R variable jackpot", if the value of the first win type counter C2 is "60", the jackpot type is determined to be "15R normal jackpot", and if the value of the first win type counter C2 is "90", the jackpot type is determined to be "2R variable jackpot".

In this way, in this embodiment, when a jackpot occurs, there is a 40% probability that a 15R special jackpot will be selected, a 40% probability that a 15R normal jackpot will be selected, and a 20% probability that a 2R special jackpot will be selected. The probability that each jackpot type will be selected when a jackpot occurs is set appropriately depending on the model. Then, depending on the set probability, the value of the first jackpot type counter C2 associated with each jackpot type is specified in the jackpot type table.

The probability of a jackpot type being selected may be changed depending on the game state of the pachinko machine 10. In this case, a jackpot type table corresponding to each game state is prepared, and the number of values of the first jackpot type counter C2 associated with each jackpot type is changed in each jackpot type table.

The probability of a jackpot type being selected may also be changed depending on the starting hole into which the ball has entered. That is, the probability of each jackpot type being selected when the value of the first winning random number counter C1 stored in the reserved ball storage area 203b upon entry of a ball into the first starting hole 64a is a random number that results in a jackpot may be, for example, 40% for a "15R guaranteed jackpot", 40% for a "15R normal jackpot", and 20% for a "2R guaranteed jackpot", and the probability of each jackpot type being selected when the value of the first winning random number counter C1 stored in the reserved ball storage area 203b upon entry of a ball into the second starting hole 64b is a random number that results in a jackpot may be, for example, 55% for a "15R guaranteed jackpot", 40% for a "15R normal jackpot", and 5% for a "2R guaranteed jackpot".

In this case, a jackpot type table corresponding to the first start hole 64a and a jackpot type table corresponding to the second start hole 64b are prepared, and the number of values of the first win type counter C2 corresponding to each jackpot type is changed in each jackpot type table. In addition, flags indicating which of the first start hole 64a and the second start hole 64b the values of the various counters stored in each area were stored in association with the winning of the ball in each area may be stored in the first to fourth reserved areas of the reserved ball storage area 203b, and the jackpot type table to be used when determining the jackpot type based on the first win type counter C2 stored in each area may be selected based on the flags. Alternatively, a flag may be provided corresponding to each of the first through fourth reserved areas, and the flag may indicate whether the values of the various counters stored in the corresponding area were stored in association with a winning entry into the first start port 64a or the second start port 64b, and the jackpot type table to be used when determining the jackpot type based on the first win type counter C2 stored in each area may be selected based on the flag.

Returning to FIG. 7, the various counters will be explained further. The stop pattern selection counter C3 is configured to increment by one within the range of, for example, 0 to 99, and return to 0 after reaching a maximum value (i.e., 99). In this embodiment, the stop type displayed on the third symbol display device 81 when a miss occurs is selected by the stop pattern selection counter C3, and one of three stop (performance) patterns is selected: a "reach before or after miss" in which the final stop symbol stops just one symbol before or after the reach symbol after a reach occurs, a "reach other than before or after miss" in which the final stop symbol stops other than before or after the reach symbol after a reach occurs, and a "complete miss" in which no reach occurs.

The value of the stop pattern selection counter C3 is updated, for example, periodically (in this embodiment, once per timer interrupt processing), and when the ball enters either the first start hole 64a or the second start hole 64b (start winning), the value of the stop pattern selection counter C3 at that time is stored in the stop pattern selection counter storage area 203b3 of the same reserved area in which the first winning random number counter C1 is stored, among the reserved areas 1 to 4 provided in the reserved ball storage area 203b of RAM 203.

In correspondence with the stop pattern selection counter C3, multiple stop pattern tables 202c with different ranges of random number values for the selected stop types are provided in the ROM 202. The reason multiple stop pattern tables 202c are provided is to change the selection ratio of the stop types depending on whether the current state of the pachinko machine 10 is a high probability state or a low probability state, etc.

For example, in a high probability state, since a jackpot is likely to occur, a stop pattern table 202c with a wide range of random numbers from 0 to 89 corresponding to the stop type of "complete miss" is selected so that a "complete miss" is more likely to be selected. In this stop pattern table 202c, the "front or rear miss reach" is narrowed to 98, 99, and the "reach other than front or rear miss" is also narrowed to 90 to 97, making it difficult to select a "front or rear miss reach" or a "reach other than front or rear miss."

In addition, in a low probability state, the stop pattern table 202c is selected in which the range of random numbers corresponding to the stop type of "complete miss" is narrowed to 0 to 79 in order to ensure the time for the ball to enter the first start hole 64a or the second start hole 64b, making it difficult to select "complete miss". In this stop pattern table 202c, the range of random numbers corresponding to the stop type of "reach other than front and rear miss" is widened to 80 to 97, making it easier to select "reach other than front and rear miss". Therefore, in a low probability state, it is possible to perform many reach displays with long performance times, so that the time for the ball to enter the first start hole 64a or the second start hole 64b can be ensured, making it easier for the third symbol display device 81 to continue to display the variations. Note that in the latter stop pattern table 202c, the range of random numbers corresponding to the stop type of "reach other than front and rear miss" is also set to 98, 99.

The variation type counter CS1 is configured to be incremented by one within the range of, for example, 0 to 198, and to return to 0 after reaching the maximum value (i.e., 198). The value of the variation type counter CS1 is updated once each time the timer interrupt process (see FIG. 10) described later is executed, and is also repeatedly updated within the remaining time in the main process (see FIG. 17). In addition, when a ball enters either the first start hole 64a or the second start hole 64b (start entry), the value of the variation type counter CS1 at that time is stored in the variation type counter storage area 203b4 of the same reserved area in which the first winning random number counter C1 is stored, among the reserved areas 1 to 4 provided in the reserved ball storage area 203b of the RAM 203.

The variation type counter CS1 is used to determine the variation pattern. That is, when the MPU 201 performs a variation performance based on various counters stored in one holding area, the variation pattern is determined by the variation type counter CS1 stored in the variation type counter storage area 203b4 of that holding area and the variation pattern table 202d stored in the ROM 202. Specifically, the determination of the variation pattern is the determination of the variation time of the pattern variation. The sound lamp control device 113 and the display control device 114 determine the reach type and detailed pattern variation mode of the third pattern displayed on the third pattern display device 81 based on the variation pattern (variation time) determined by the variation type counter CS1, and also determine whether or not to execute the advance notice performance and the execution mode of the advance notice performance.

Now, with reference to Figures 8(c) to (e), the details of the variation pattern table 202d will be described. In this pachinko machine 10, as the variation pattern table 202d, a jackpot variation pattern table 202d1 used at the time of a jackpot, and loss variation pattern tables 202d2 and 202d3 used at the time of a loss are prepared. In addition, as the loss variation pattern tables 202d2 and 202d3, a loss (probability change) variation pattern table 202d3 and a loss (normal) variation pattern table 202d2 are prepared depending on whether the game state is a time-saving state or a high-probability state during a probability change state, or a low-probability state during normal times other than the time-saving state.

Furthermore, each of the variation pattern tables 202d1 to 202d3 is provided separately as a table to be referenced when the number of reserved balls is 0 (i.e., when there are no reserved balls), a table to be referenced when the number of reserved balls is 1, a table to be referenced when the number of reserved balls is 2, a table to be referenced when the number of reserved balls is 3, and a table to be referenced when the number of reserved balls is 4.

Note that, as in this embodiment, it is not necessary to prepare a variation pattern table for each number of reserved balls, and each variation pattern table 202d1 to 202d3 may be prepared so that the table to be referred to is changed simply based on the number of reserved balls. For example, each variation pattern table 202d1 to 202d3 may be prepared separately as a table to be referred to when the number of reserved balls is less than 3 and a table to be referred to when the number of reserved balls is 3 or more. In addition, the number of reserved balls condition for determining the table to be referred to may be different in each variation pattern table 202d1 to 202d3. For example, the jackpot variation pattern table 202d1 may be prepared as a table to be referred to when the number of reserved balls is less than 3 and a table to be referred to when the number of reserved balls is 3 or more, the loss (normal) variation pattern table 202d2 may be prepared as a table for each number of reserved balls, and the loss (probable) variation pattern table 202d3 may be prepared as a single table regardless of the number of reserved balls.

Figure 8 (c) is a schematic diagram showing an example of the jackpot fluctuation pattern table 202d1 stored in the ROM 202 that is referenced when the number of reserved balls is 2.

The jackpot fluctuation pattern table 202d1 is divided into groups based on the jackpot type, regardless of the number of reserved balls it corresponds to. Specifically, it is divided into a 15R jackpot common that is referenced when a 15R variable jackpot or a 15R normal jackpot is determined as the jackpot type, and a 2R variable jackpot exclusive that is referenced when a 2R variable jackpot is determined. The value of the fluctuation type counter CS1 is then associated with each of these divided groups.

When the value of the first win random number counter C1 is a value that results in a jackpot (jackpot random number value), a group (group) to be referenced in the jackpot fluctuation pattern table 202d1 that determines the fluctuation pattern is determined according to the jackpot type corresponding to the value of the first win type counter C2 stored in the same holding area. In that group (group) of the jackpot fluctuation pattern table 202d1, the fluctuation pattern associated with the value of the fluctuation type counter CS1 stored in the same holding area is determined as the fluctuation pattern in the fluctuation performance held in that holding area.

For the 15R jackpot, three selectable fluctuation patterns are available: fluctuation A with a fluctuation time of 30 seconds, fluctuation B with a fluctuation time of 60 seconds, and fluctuation C with a fluctuation time of 90 seconds. Each fluctuation pattern is associated with a value of the fluctuation type counter CS1.

Variation A is a variation pattern executed by the third pattern display device 81, where a so-called normal reach is executed in which the third pattern is lined up after a reach with a short variation time. Variation B is a variation pattern executed by the third pattern display device 81, where a so-called super reach is executed in which the third pattern is lined up after a reach with a longer variation time than the normal reach. Super reaches include, for example, reaches that develop from normal reaches, as well as long reaches that simply have a long reach time. Variation C is a variation pattern executed by the third pattern display device 81, where a so-called special reach is executed in which the third pattern is lined up after a reach with an even longer variation time than the super reach. Special reaches include, for example, reaches that develop further after the super reach, as well as special reaches that develop from the normal reach in a different way from the super reach.

In the example shown in FIG. 8(c), the correspondence between the fluctuation pattern and the value of the fluctuation type counter CS1 when the number of reserved balls is 2 is 0 to 10 for fluctuation A, 11 to 99 for fluctuation B, and 100 to 198 for fluctuation C in the common table for 15R jackpots. The common table for 15R jackpots is selected when a 15R special jackpot or a 15R normal jackpot occurs, so in order to create a sense of expectation among players, fluctuation C, which results in a special reach, is more likely to be selected. However, by configuring it so that fluctuation A, which results in a normal reach, and fluctuation B, which results in a super reach, can also be selected, it is possible to provide a game in which a jackpot can be expected from any reach.

In this pachinko machine 10, many different effects are available for each reach. For example, the super reach includes a reach that displays a rapidly changing back image (an image displayed on the back side of the third pattern, which is the main image displayed on the third pattern display device 81), a reach that suddenly displays a certain character, and other reaches with different effects, such as a reach that adds a notice before the start of the fluctuation, and a reach that adds a re-flux that becomes a jackpot. In the main control device 110, when a 15R sure-variable jackpot or a 15R normal jackpot occurs, only fluctuations A, B, and C are determined as the fluctuation pattern, and the sound lamp control device 113 and display control device 114 determine the detailed fluctuation pattern corresponding to each of fluctuations A to C. The fluctuation performance is executed by the third pattern display device 91 according to the detailed fluctuation pattern.

For 2R special jackpots, only the "2R change" change pattern with a change time of 59 seconds is available for selection. In the jackpot change pattern table 202d1, regardless of the number of reserved balls, in the group dedicated to 2R special jackpots, 2R change is associated with all possible values (0 to 198) of the change type counter CS1, as shown in FIG. 7(c). In other words, when the jackpot change type is a 2R special jackpot, 2R change is always selected as the change pattern.

When 2R variation is selected by the main control device 110, the detailed variation pattern corresponding to the 2R variation is determined by the sound lamp control device 113 and the display control device 114. Therefore, when the main control device 110 determines that the jackpot type is a 2R sure-variable jackpot, the third pattern display device 81 executes a variation performance according to a detailed variation pattern corresponding to the 2R variation. In this pachinko machine 10, the detailed variation pattern corresponding to the 2R variation includes, for example, a variation pattern in which characters such as "chicken" or "girl" are displayed in the small areas Ds1 and Ds3 of the third pattern display device 81, and the third pattern finally stops at a specific pattern, and a variation pattern in which the third pattern finally stops at a specific pattern accompanied by the lighting or blinking of a specific lamp, etc.

In addition, the fluctuation pattern at the time of a jackpot is determined using only the fluctuation type counter CS1, but it may be configured to be determined using multiple other fluctuation type counters. For example, whether or not to add a notice performance that notifies the start of a jackpot or reach performance before the start of the fluctuation or during the fluctuation performance may be determined by other fluctuation type counters, and when a reach is established, the number of patterns by which the third pattern that stops last will be shifted (for example, a miss that is shifted by one pattern, etc.) may be determined by other fluctuation type counters.

In addition, in the jackpot fluctuation pattern table 202d1, a group dedicated to 2R certain variable jackpots is provided, but in this pachinko machine 10, when a 2R certain variable jackpot occurs, only the "2R fluctuation" fluctuation pattern is selected, so instead of providing a group dedicated to 2R certain variable jackpots, the jackpot fluctuation pattern table 202d1 may only specify the correspondence between the fluctuation type counter CS1 and the fluctuation pattern when a 15R certain variable jackpot or a 15R normal jackpot occurs. In this case, when a 2R certain variable jackpot occurs as the jackpot type, 2R fluctuation may be determined as the fluctuation pattern without referring to the jackpot fluctuation pattern table 202d1.

In addition, in this pachinko machine 10, only "2R variation" is selected when a 2R certainty jackpot occurs, but one variation pattern may be selected from multiple variation patterns when a 2R certainty jackpot occurs. In this case, even in a group dedicated to 2R certainty jackpots, such as a group common to 15R jackpots, a variation type counter CS1 may be associated with the variation pattern selected when a 2R certainty jackpot occurs, and the variation pattern associated with the value of the variation type counter CS1 stored in a certain reserved area may be determined as the variation pattern in the variation performance reserved in that reserved area.

Figure 8 (d) is a schematic diagram showing an example of a miss (normal) fluctuation pattern table 202d2 stored in the ROM 202 that is referenced when the number of reserved balls is 2.

As shown in FIG. 8(d), the miss (normal) fluctuation pattern table 202d2 is divided into groups (sets) based on the stop type when a miss occurs: a complete miss only table that is referenced when a complete miss is determined as the stop type when a miss occurs, and a reach common table that is referenced when a front or rear miss reach or a reach other than a front or rear miss is determined. Each of these divided groups is associated with a value of the fluctuation type counter CS1.

When the value of the first win random number counter C1 stored in a certain holding area is not a value that results in a jackpot (jackpot random number value), i.e., is a value that results in a miss, and the game state is in a normal low probability state excluding the time-saving state, the fluctuation pattern corresponding to the value of the fluctuation type counter CS1 stored in that holding area is determined from the miss (normal) fluctuation pattern table 202d2 according to the stop type corresponding to the value of the stop pattern selection counter C3 stored in the same holding area as the first win random number counter C1.

For complete misses only, two selectable patterns are prepared: a change D with a change time of 7 seconds and a change E with a change time of 10 seconds, and the value of the change type counter CS1 is associated with each change pattern. When change D or change E is selected as the change pattern, the third symbol change device 81 executes a change presentation in which the third symbol starts to change at high speed and then stops without a reach being achieved. As shown in FIG. 8(d), in the miss (normal) change pattern table 202d2, the correspondence between each change for complete misses only and the value of the change type counter CS1 when the number of reserved balls is 2 is 0 to 98 for change D and 99 to 198 for change E.

In addition, for the reach common, three change patterns are available for selection from the three changes A to C mentioned above, namely, change A, which has a change time of 30 seconds and executes a normal reach on the third pattern change device 81, change B, which has a change time of 60 seconds and executes a super reach on the third pattern display device 81, and change C, which has a change time of 90 seconds and executes a special reach on the third pattern display device 81. In the loss (normal) change pattern table 202d2, the correspondence between each common change for the reach and the value of the change type counter CS1 when the number of reserved balls is 2 is as follows: change A is 0 to 98, change B is 99 to 190, and change C is 191 to 198.

Figure 8 (e) is a schematic diagram showing an example of a miss (probable win) fluctuation pattern table 202d3 stored in the ROM 202 that is referenced when the number of reserved balls is 2.

As shown in FIG. 8(e), the miss (normal) fluctuation pattern table 202d3, like the miss (normal) fluctuation pattern table, is divided into groups (sets) based on the stop type when a miss occurs: a complete miss only table, which is referenced when a complete miss is determined as the stop type when a miss occurs, and fluctuations D and E can be selected as the fluctuation pattern, and a reach common table, which is referenced when a front or rear miss reach or a reach other than a front or rear miss is determined, and fluctuations A to C can be selected as the fluctuation pattern. In each divided group, the value of the fluctuation type counter CS1 is associated with each selectable fluctuation pattern.

When the value of the first winning random number counter C1 stored in a certain holding area is a value that does not result in a jackpot, i.e., a miss value, and the game state is in a time-saving state or a high probability state during a special probability, the fluctuation pattern corresponding to the value of the fluctuation type counter CS1 stored in that holding area is determined from the miss (special probability) fluctuation pattern table 202d3 according to the stop type corresponding to the value of the stop pattern selection counter C3 stored in the same holding area.

As shown in FIG. 8(e), in the miss (probable variable) fluctuation pattern table 202d3, the correspondence between each fluctuation and the value of the fluctuation type counter CS1 in the complete miss only when the number of reserved balls is 2 is as follows: Fluctuation D is 0 to 190, and Fluctuation E is 191 to 198. In addition, the correspondence between each fluctuation and the value of the fluctuation type counter CS1 in the reach common when the number of reserved balls is 2 is as follows: Fluctuation A is 0 to 98, Fluctuation B is 99 to 190, and Fluctuation C is 191 to 198. In other words, the correspondence between each fluctuation and the value of the fluctuation type counter CS1 in the reach common is the same in the miss (normal) fluctuation pattern table 202d2 and the miss (probable variable) fluctuation pattern table 202d3.

On the other hand, when the game state is in a time-saving state or a high probability state during a special bonus, it is easy for the ball to enter the second starting hole 64b, and if there are many complete misses (Variation E) with long fluctuation times, it will take a long time until the next fluctuation display starts, which may make the player feel uncomfortable as they are left waiting. Also, it is undesirable for the hall as it reduces the operating rate.

Therefore, the miss (normal) fluctuation pattern table 202d2 and miss (high probability) fluctuation pattern table 202d3 are configured so that if a complete miss occurs when the game state is in a time-saving state or a high-probability state during a high probability state, a complete miss (fluctuation D) with a shorter fluctuation time is more likely to be selected than in other game states (normal states excluding the time-saving state). This makes it possible to reduce the possibility of causing discomfort to the player by starting the next fluctuation display early. It also makes it possible to prevent the operating rate from dropping too dramatically.

The variation pattern for a miss is selected using only the variation type counter CS1, but multiple variation type counters may be used in combination for selection (selecting whether or not to display a warning, etc.). Also, the selection of the miss type is configured to be divided into a miss (normal) variation pattern table and a miss (high probability) variation pattern table, but even if the game is in a normal state, if there are multiple reserved balls (for example, three or more if the maximum is four), the variation display may be ended early, so the selection may be made by referring to the miss (high probability) variation pattern table.

In addition, the correspondence between the fluctuations A to C selected when the fluctuation type is a front/rear miss reach or a reach other than a front/rear miss and the value of the fluctuation type counter CS1 is the same regardless of the game state, so the miss (normal) fluctuation pattern table 202d2 and the miss (probable hit) fluctuation pattern table 202d3 do not include a group common to reaches, and these fluctuation pattern tables 202d2 and 202d3 are referenced only when the stop type is a complete miss, and a separate fluctuation pattern table may be prepared to be referenced when the stop type is a front/rear miss reach or a reach other than a front/rear miss regardless of the game state.

In this pachinko machine 10, the correspondence between the fluctuations A to C selected when the fluctuation type is a forward or rear miss reach or a non-forward or rear miss reach and the value of the fluctuation type counter CS1 is the same regardless of the game state, but it may be different depending on the game state.

Furthermore, in the fluctuation pattern tables 202d2 and 202d3 for each miss shown in FIG. 8(d) and FIG. 8(e), fluctuations D and E may simply be set as "complete miss fluctuations", and when the "complete miss fluctuation" is selected, fluctuations D and E may be selected with a predetermined probability by referring to other tables. Of course, in this case, a table corresponding to the number of reserved balls may also be prepared.

Returning to FIG. 7, the second win random number counter C4 is configured as a loop counter that increments by one within the range of, for example, 0 to 250 and returns to 0 after it reaches a maximum value (i.e., 250). Also, when the second win random number counter C4 goes around once, the value of the second initial value random number counter CINI2 at that time is read as the initial value of the second win random number counter C4.

In this embodiment, the value of the second winning random number counter C4 is updated every time a timer interrupt process (see FIG. 14) is performed, and is acquired when it is detected that the ball has passed through either the left or right through gate 67. There are 149 possible random number values that will result in a win, with the range being "5 to 153." In other words, if the acquired value of the second winning random number counter C4 is within the range of "5 to 153," it is determined to be a win, and the "○" symbol is displayed as the stop symbol (second symbol) on the second symbol display device 83, the electric device of the second starting hole 64b is activated, and the second starting hole 64b is opened for a predetermined period of time.

The second initial value random number counter CINI2 is configured as a loop counter that is updated within the same range as the second hit random number counter C4 (value = 0 to 250), and is updated once for each timer interrupt process (see Figure 10), and is repeatedly updated within the remaining time of the main process (see Figure 17).

In this way, various counters and the like are provided in the RAM 203, and the main control device 110 can execute the main processes of the pachinko machine 10, such as drawing jackpots, setting the variable displays (variable presentation) on the first pattern display device 37 and the third pattern display device 81, and drawing the display results on the second pattern display device 83, depending on the values of these counters and the like.

Returning to FIG. 6, the explanation will continue. The prize ball number table 202e in the ROM 202 is a table that specifies the number of prize balls to be paid out when a ball enters each of the winning slots 63a, 63b, 64a, 64b, and 65a (winning). Here, the details of the prize ball number table 202e will be explained with reference to FIG. 9. FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram that shows the contents of the prize ball number table 202e.

9, in the prize ball number table 202e, the first start port 64a, the second start port 64b, the first normal winning port 63a, the second normal winning port 63b, and the large winning port 65a are defined as "start port types", and the "number of prize balls" corresponding to each winning port is defined. Specifically, in the prize ball number table 202e, the first start port 64a is associated with the number of prize balls 3, the second start port 64a is associated with the number of prize balls 2, the first normal winning port 63a is associated with the number of prize balls 8, the second normal winning port 63b is associated with the number of prize balls 8, and the large winning port 65a is associated with the number of prize balls 12.

Note that the prize ball number table 202e specifies the number of prize balls corresponding to each winning port for all winning ports provided in the pachinko machine 10. Therefore, if the pachinko machine 10 has winning ports other than the above-mentioned winning ports 63a, 63b, 64a, 64b, and 65a, the prize ball number table 202e will specify the number of prize balls corresponding to those winning ports as well.

In addition, in this pachinko machine 10, the number of prize balls is the same for the first normal winning port 63a and the second normal winning port 63b. Therefore, in the prize ball number table 202e, the first normal winning port 63a and the second normal winning port 63b may be collectively defined as the "starting port type" as the "normal winning port", and the number of prize balls may be defined as 8 in association with the "normal winning port". Also, if the number of prize balls for the first starting port 64a and the second starting port 64b is the same as "3", the prize ball number table 202e may collectively define the first starting port 64a and the second starting port 64b as the "starting port type" as the "starting port", and the number of prize balls may be defined as 3 in association with the "starting port".

The prize ball number table 202e is sent to the reel ratio management chip 207 during the initialization process of the MPU 201, which is executed when power is applied to the main control device 110, and is used when the reel ratio management chip 207 calculates the reel ratio.

The trigger information data 202f is data that specifies the timing (trigger) at which the reel ratio is calculated in the reel ratio management chip 207. Details will be described later, but the reel ratio management chip 207 calculates the reel ratio at the timing (trigger) indicated by the trigger information data 202f.

The reel ratio management chip 207 corresponds to three timings (triggers) for calculating the reel ratio. The first is the number of balls fired, and the reel ratio management chip 207 calculates the reel ratio each time the number of balls fired reaches a predetermined number. The second is time, and the reel ratio management chip 207 calculates the reel ratio when a predetermined time is reached. The third is playing time, and the reel ratio management chip 207 calculates the reel ratio when a predetermined playing time has elapsed by the player.

The trigger information data 202f specifies information indicating either the "number of shots," "time," or "play time" as the calculation timing (trigger) of the reel ratio in the reel ratio management chip 207.

When the trigger information data 202f specifies information indicating the "number of shots", it also specifies information indicating the "predetermined number of balls" that is the timing for calculating the role ratio. For example, if the trigger information data 202f specifies information indicating the "number of shots" and information indicating 500 balls as the "predetermined number of balls", the role ratio is calculated in the role ratio management chip 207 every time the number of shots reaches 500 balls.

When the trigger information data 202f specifies information indicating a "time", it also specifies information indicating a "predetermined time" that is the timing for calculating the reel ratio. For example, if the trigger information data 202f specifies information indicating a "time" and information indicating 12:00, 17:00, 19:00, and 22:00 as the "predetermined times", the reel ratio is calculated in the reel ratio management chip 207 at the timings of 12:00, 17:00, 19:00, and 22:00.

When the trigger information data 202f specifies information indicating "play time", it also specifies information indicating a "predetermined time" that is the timing for calculating the role ratio. For example, if the trigger information data 202f specifies information indicating "play time" and information indicating two hours as the "predetermined time", the role ratio is calculated in the role ratio management chip 207 every time two hours of play time have elapsed.

The trigger information data 202f, together with the prize ball number table 202e, is sent to the reel ratio management chip 207 during the initialization process of the MPU 201, which is executed when power is applied to the main control device 110, and is used when determining the trigger for calculating the reel ratio in the reel ratio management chip 207.

In addition to the counter buffer shown in FIG. 7, the RAM 203 has a stack area in which the contents of the internal registers of the MPU 201 and the return addresses of the control programs executed by the MPU 201 are stored, and a work area (working region) in which various flags and values of counters, I/O, etc. are stored. The RAM 203 is configured so that it can retain (back up) data by receiving a backup voltage from the power supply device 115 even after the power to the pachinko machine 10 is cut off, and all data stored in the RAM 203 is backed up.

When the power is cut off (including when a power outage occurs; the same applies below), the power outage signal SG1 output from the power outage monitoring circuit 252 is input to the NMI terminal of the MPU 201. This input causes the NMI interrupt process (see Figure 15) to be executed, and information about the occurrence of a power outage is set. Then, when the main process (Figure 17) of the MPU 201 determines that there is information about the occurrence of a power outage, the stack pointer and the values of each register at that time are stored in the RAM 203.

On the other hand, when the power is turned on (including when the power is turned on after a power outage is resolved; the same applies below), the state of the pachinko machine 10 is restored to the state before the power was cut off based on the information stored in the RAM 203. Writing to the RAM 203 is performed by the main processing (see FIG. 20) when the power is cut off, and the values written to the RAM 203 are restored during the start-up processing (see FIG. 19) when the power is turned on.

The RAM 203 further includes at least a reserved ball number counter 203a, a reserved ball storage area 203b, a reserved ball execution area 203c, a start 1 counter 203d, a start 2 counter 203e, a normal 1 counter 203f, a normal 2 counter 203g, a big prize slot counter 203h, and an out counter 203i.

The reserved ball counter 203a is a counter that counts the number of reserved balls (number of waiting times) of the variable display (variable performance performed by the third pattern display device 81) performed by the first pattern display device 37 up to a maximum of four times based on a ball entering either the first start hole 64a or the second start hole 64b (start winning) detected in the timer interrupt process (see FIG. 14) that is periodically executed every 2 milliseconds. This reserved ball counter 203a is set to zero as an initial value by the initial setting process of the RAM 203 after power is turned on (S616 in FIG. 16). Then, each time a start winning is detected and the number of reserved balls in the variable display increases, one is added up to a maximum value of four (see S202, S203 in FIG. 12). On the other hand, the reserved ball counter 203a is decremented by one each time a variable performance is executed (see S305 in FIG. 13).

The value of the reserved ball counter 203a (i.e., the number of reserved balls) is notified to the voice lamp control device 113 by a reserved ball number command (see S205 in FIG. 12). The reserved ball number command is a command sent from the main control device 110 to the voice lamp control device 113 each time a start winning is detected and the reserved ball number counter 203a is incremented by one.

The voice lamp control device 113 can obtain the value of the number of reserved balls for the variable performance reserved in the main control device 110 by using the reserved ball number command. This allows the voice lamp control device 113 to manage the number of reserved variable performances without accessing the main control device 110. Also, by sending a reserved ball number command from the main control device 110 to the voice lamp control device 113 every time a start winning is detected, even if the reserved ball number for the variable performance managed by the voice lamp control device 113 deviates from the actual reserved ball number for the variable performance reserved in the main control device 110 due to the influence of noise, etc., the deviation can be corrected by the reserved ball number command received next.

The voice lamp control device 113 sends a reserved ball number display command to notify the display control device 114 of the reserved ball number each time the number of reserved balls managed internally changes. The display control device 114 displays a reserved ball number pattern in the reserved ball number display area Db of the third pattern display device 81 based on the reserved ball number notified by this reserved ball number display command.

In addition, in this embodiment, when the main control unit 110 sends a reserved ball number command to the voice lamp control unit 113, the reserved ball number command includes not only the value of the reserved ball number counter 203a incremented by 1, but also the values of the first winning random number counter C1, the first winning type counter C2, the stop pattern selection counter C3, and the variable type counter CS1 obtained from the counter buffer (see Figure 6) in response to the start winning that triggered the increment of the reserved ball number counter 203a.

In other words, when a start win occurs, the values of the first win random number counter C1, the first win type counter C2, the stop pattern selection counter C3, and the variable type counter CS1 obtained from the counter buffer by the main control unit 110 are transmitted to the audio lamp control unit 113 by the reserved ball number command.

The voice lamp control device 113 reads ahead the values of the first win random number counter C1, the first win type counter C2, the stop pattern selection counter C3, and the change type counter CS1 transmitted by the reserved ball count command before the change performance based on each value is executed, and determines what the change performance will be (whether it will be a jackpot or not, what the change time will be, etc.) before the change performance is executed. Then, based on the result of the read-ahead judgment, it is possible to decide to execute various types of performance.

The reserved ball storage area 203b is a memory for storing the values of the first winning random number counter C1, the first winning type counter C2, the stop pattern selection counter C3, and the variable type counter CS1 obtained from the counter buffer (see FIG. 7) when a start winning is detected. When the MPU 201 detects that a ball has won (start winning) either the first starting hole 64a or the second starting hole 64b during the timer interrupt process (see FIG. 10), it obtains the values of the counters C1 to C3 and CS1 from the counter buffer and stores them in the reserved ball storage area 203b. The reserved ball storage area 203b has four reserved areas (reserved areas 1 to 4) so that data corresponding to one start winning (values of the counters C1 to C3 and CS1) can be stored (reserved) up to four times (see FIG. 7).

The reserved ball execution area 203c is a memory for storing data (the values of counters C1 to C3 and CS1) to be referenced in processes such as the jackpot lottery and the settings of the variable display (variable performance) of the first pattern display device 37 and the third pattern display device 81.

When the MPU 201 detects that it is time to start executing the variable performance, it shifts the data corresponding to one start winning from among the data corresponding to each start winning (counter values C1 to C3, CS1) stored in the reserved ball storage area 203b described above to this reserved ball execution area 203c in order to execute processes such as the jackpot lottery and the setting of the variable display (variable performance) of the first pattern display device 37 and the third pattern display device 81. Note that in this embodiment, shifting refers to moving data stored in one area to another area.

Now, referring back to FIG. 7, the reserved ball storage area 203b and the reserved ball execution area 203c will be described in detail. The reserved ball storage area 203b and the reserved ball execution area 203c are used by the MPU 201 of the main control device 110 to perform the jackpot lottery and to set the variable display (variable performance) of the first pattern display device 37 and the third pattern display device 81.

The first random number counter C1 used for the jackpot lottery and the variable display (variable performance) of the first symbol display device 37 and the third symbol display device 81 are used to set the jackpot lottery, the first type symbol counter C2 used to determine the type of jackpot, the stop pattern selection counter C3 used to determine the type of stop when a miss occurs, and the variable type counter CS1 used to determine the variable pattern. The reserved ball storage area 203b stores the values of the counters C1 to C3 and CS1 obtained from the counter buffer by the MPU 201 when a ball enters either the first start hole 64a or the second start hole 64b (start entry).

The reserved ball storage area 203b is made up of four reserved areas (reserved areas 1 to 4). Each of the four reserved areas (reserved areas 1 to 4) includes a first win random number counter storage area 203b1 that stores the value of the first win random number counter C1, a first win type counter storage area 203b2 that stores the value of the first win type counter C2, a stop pattern selection counter storage area 203b3 that stores the value of the stop pattern selection counter C3, and a variation type counter storage area 203b4 that stores the value of the variation type counter CS1.

In this embodiment, the first winning random number counter storage area 203b1, the first winning type counter storage area 203b2, the stop pattern selection counter storage area 203b3, and the variable type counter storage area 203b4 are provided in one reserved ball storage area 203b, but multiple reserved ball storage areas may be provided and each of the four areas 203b1, 203b2, 203b3, and 203b4 may be provided in one of the reserved ball storage areas.

As mentioned above, the reserved ball storage area 203b stores up to four pieces of data (the values of each counter C1-C3, CS1) obtained when a ball enters the second start port 64b (start winning), and in this case, data is stored in the available areas of the four reserved areas (reserved areas 1-4) in order starting from the area with the smallest area number (1-4). In other words, the smaller the area number, the more data corresponding to an older start winning is stored, and reserved area 1 stores data corresponding to the oldest start winning.

On the other hand, the reserved ball execution area 203c is composed of only one area. Like the reserved ball storage area 203b, this reserved ball execution area 203c is provided with a first win random number counter storage area 203c1 that stores the value of the first win random number counter C1, a first win type counter storage area 203c2 that stores the value of the first win type counter C2, a stop pattern selection counter storage area 203c3 that stores the value of the stop pattern selection counter C3, and a fluctuation type counter storage area 203c4 that stores the value of the fluctuation type counter CS1.

When the MPU 201 determines that it is time to start executing the variable effect, it shifts the data (the values of the counters C1-C3 and CS1) stored in the reserved first area of the reserved ball storage area 203b to each of the areas 203c1-203c4 of this reserved ball execution area 203c. The data shifted to the reserved ball execution area 203c is then referenced in the variable start process (see FIG. 17), and a jackpot lottery is performed based on the reference data, while a variable pattern and stop type corresponding to the lottery result are determined. In the first symbol display device 37, under the control of the main control device 110, a variable display is performed based on the determined variable pattern and stop type.

The variation pattern and stop type determined here are notified to the voice lamp control device 113 by a variation pattern command and a stop type command, and are also notified to the display control device 114 via the voice lamp control device 113. Then, under the control of the display control device 114, the third pattern display device 81 performs a variation presentation based on the variation pattern and stop type notified by the variation pattern command and stop type command.

The details of the data shift will be explained. When the MPU 201 determines that it is time to start executing the variable performance, it shifts the random number value in the first hit random number counter storage area 203b1 in the reserved first area to the first hit random number counter storage area 203c1 in the reserved ball execution area 203c. Similarly, it shifts the random number value in the first hit type counter storage area 203b2 to the first hit type counter storage area 203c2, the random number value in the stop pattern selection counter storage area 203b3 to the stop pattern selection counter storage area 203c3, and the random number value in the variable type counter storage area 203b4 to the variable type counter storage area 203c4.

When the shifting of data to the reserved ball execution area 203c is completed, the reserved first area becomes empty, and a shift process is performed to move the data stored (reserved) in each area (2nd to 4th) of the reserved ball storage area 203b to the area (1st to 3rd) with the area number one smaller. Note that in this embodiment, data shifting is only performed for the reserved areas (1st to 4th) in the reserved ball storage area 203b where data is stored (reserved).

Here, we will explain the data shifting performed for each reserved area in reserved ball storage area 203b. For example, assume that the value of reserved ball counter 203a is "4" when a decision is made to start the variable performance, and data is stored in all areas (1st to 4th) of reserved ball storage area 203b. In this state, when the data in reserved area 1 is shifted to reserved ball execution area 203c and reserved area 1 becomes empty, MPU 201 shifts the data in the other areas (2nd to 4th) to the areas (1st to 3rd) with area numbers one smaller. In other words, the data in reserved area 2 is shifted to reserved area 1, the data in reserved area 3 is shifted to reserved area 2, and the data in reserved area 4 is shifted to reserved area 3.

For example, if the value of the reserved ball count counter 203a is "2" when the decision to start the variable performance is made, the MPU 201 shifts only the data in the reserved second area to the reserved first area and ends the data shifting. As described above, in this embodiment, data shifting is not performed for the reserved areas (third to fourth) in which no data is stored (reserved), so the number of data shifts can be reduced, and the control burden can be reduced.

It is also possible to configure the system so that each data in the reserved areas (2nd to 4th) is shifted to an area with an area number one smaller, regardless of whether or not data is present. In this case, it is not necessary to determine whether or not data is stored (reserved) in the reserved areas (2nd to 4th), which makes it easier to create programs.

Returning to FIG. 6, the explanation will be continued. The start 1 counter 203d is a counter for counting the number of balls that have entered the first start port 64a, the start 2 counter 203e is a counter for counting the number of balls that have entered the second start port 64b, the normal 1 counter 203f is a counter for counting the number of balls that have entered the first normal winning port 63a, the normal 2 counter 203g is a counter for counting the number of balls that have entered the second normal winning port 63b, the large winning port counter 203h is a counter for counting the number of balls that have entered the large winning port 65a, and the out counter 203i is a counter for counting the number of balls that have been guided to the ball discharge path (i.e., the number of balls used in the game). All of these counters 203d to 203i are set to zero as their initial values by the initial setting process of the RAM 203 after power is turned on (S616 in FIG. 16).

In addition, in the switch reading process (see FIG. 11) executed in the timer interrupt process (see FIG. 10) executed every 2 milliseconds, the MPU 201 refers to the start 1 port 205a, start 2 port 205b, normal 1 port 205c, normal 2 port 205d, large prize opening port 205e, and out port 205f to determine whether a ball has been detected in each of the first start opening switch 208a, the second start opening switch 208b, the first normal prize opening switch 208c, the second normal prize opening switch 208d, large prize opening switch 208f, and out switch 208g. If a prize has been won in any of the prize openings (a ball has been detected in the corresponding switch), the counter corresponding to the prize opening where the prize has been won is incremented by one, and if a ball has been detected in the out switch 208g, the out counter 203i is incremented by one.

Counting of the number of balls in counters 203d-203i continues for 0.5 seconds. After 0.5 seconds have elapsed, the values of counters 203d-203h are treated as winning information, and the value of out counter 203i is treated as out information, which are set in the bonus ratio management chip 207 together with information indicating the game status at that time. After the values of counters 203d-203i are set in the bonus ratio management chip 207, the values of counters 203d-203i are initialized to zero, and the number of balls that have won in each winning slot in the next 0.5 seconds is counted for each winning slot, and the number of balls guided to the ball discharge path (i.e., the number of balls used in the game) is counted.

In this way, in this pachinko machine 10, the MPU 201 counts the number of balls that have entered each winning slot at 0.5 second intervals, and also counts the number of balls that have been guided to the ball discharge path (i.e., the number of balls used in the game), and sets the counting results in the bonus ratio management chip 207. Then, as described below, the bonus ratio management chip 207 accumulates these counted values for each value until it is time to calculate the bonus ratio, thereby counting the number of balls that have entered each winning slot for each winning slot from the time the power is turned on until it is time to calculate the bonus ratio for the first time, or from the time the bonus ratio is calculated last time until it is time to calculate the bonus ratio next time, and also counts the number of balls that have been guided to the ball discharge path (i.e., the number of balls used in the game).

In this way, the number of winning balls in the winning slots actually detected by the MPU 201, etc. are input from the MPU 201 to the bonus ratio management chip 207, so that the bonus ratio management chip 207 can accurately grasp the number of balls recognized as winning during actual play.

In addition, if the MPU 201 were not to count the number of balls that entered each winning slot or the number of balls guided to the ball discharge path (i.e., the number of balls used in the game), and these counts were to be performed only by the bonus ratio management chip 207, the bonus ratio management chip would also have to monitor the winning balls that entered each winning slot and the balls that were guided to the ball discharge path at short intervals (e.g., every 2 milliseconds), which would increase the processing load and could lead to increased power consumption.

In contrast, in this pachinko machine 10, the MPU 201 counts and sets these counting results in the bonus ratio management chip 207 at 0.5 second intervals, so that the bonus ratio management chip 207 counts the number of balls that have entered each winning slot for each winning slot every 0.5 seconds from when the power is turned on until the bonus ratio is calculated for the first time, or from when the bonus ratio was calculated last time until the bonus ratio is calculated next time, and also executes a process to count the number of balls guided to the ball discharge path (i.e., the number of balls used in the game). This makes it possible to suppress the processing load and power consumption in the bonus ratio management chip 207.

On the other hand, the MPU 201 monitors the winning balls in each winning slot and the balls guided to the ball discharge path at intervals of, for example, 2 milliseconds in order to count the number of winning balls in each winning slot and the number of balls guided to the ball discharge path (i.e., the number of balls used in the game). However, these monitoring operations are necessary for controlling the main game such as the big win lottery and the prize ball judgment, and are originally processed at short time intervals of 2 milliseconds. In addition, since the interval at which balls are fired into the game area by the ball firing unit 112a (see FIG. 5) in the pachinko machine 10 is about 0.6 seconds, the number of winning balls in each winning slot and the number of balls guided to the ball discharge path (i.e., the number of balls used in the game), which are counted at 0.5 second intervals, is almost always 0 or 1 ball, or at most a few balls, so the amount of data required for the counters 203d to 203i provided in the RAM 203 may be small. This counting process therefore prevents the capacity of RAM 203 from increasing. Therefore, there is no significant impact even if MPU 201 executes a process to count the number of balls that enter each winning port in 0.5 seconds for each winning port, and also to count the number of balls that are guided to the ball discharge path (i.e., the number of balls used in the game).

The role ratio management chip 207 is provided with a CPU 261, a buffer 262, a first read/write memory 263, a second read/write memory 264, a setting register 265, and a real-time clock (hereinafter referred to as "RTC") 266, which are connected to each other via a bus 206. The bus 206 is also connected to the MPU 201 and the inspection terminal 207a.

A large-capacity capacitor 267 is also connected to the reel ratio management chip 207. The capacitor 267 is charged while power is being supplied to the main control device 110, and when the power supply to the main control device 110 is stopped due to a power outage or the like, the reel ratio management chip 207 uses the power charged in the capacitor 267 to execute processing associated with the power cut. Note that instead of the capacitor 267, a rechargeable secondary battery may be connected to the reel ratio management chip 207.

The CPU 261 is a calculation device that controls the operation of the feature ratio management chip 207, and by executing a control program stored in a ROM (not shown) provided within the feature ratio management chip 207, the feature ratio management chip 207 manages the feature ratios in the pachinko machine 10. By having the CPU 261 manage the feature ratios in the feature ratio management chip 207, it is possible to flexibly respond to changes in the functions and specifications of the feature ratio management chip 207 by changing the software.

The RTC 266 outputs the current time. The RTC 266 has a built-in rechargeable secondary battery (not shown), and the RTC 266 always keeps track of the current time and outputs the time using the secondary battery as a power source. The time output by the RTC 266 is referenced by the CPU 261 when the timing (trigger) for calculating the role ratio set by the trigger setting area 265b is "time", and when the time indicated by the RTC 266 matches or exceeds the "predetermined time" set in the trigger setting area 265b, the process for calculating the role ratio is executed. In addition, as will be described later in detail, when jackpot information, door open information, error information, or out-of-hours information is added to the jackpot data 263g, open data 263h, error data 263i, and out-of-hours data 263k in the first reading 263, the time at that time is read from the RTC 266, and the read time is added to each data together with each information.

The buffer 262 is a memory for temporarily storing various information set by the MPU 201, and is composed of a static random access memory (SRAM), which is a volatile memory that can read and write data. The buffer 262 includes at least a start 1 buffer 262a, a start 2 buffer 262b, a normal 1 buffer 262c, a normal 2 buffer 262d, a big prize opening buffer 262f, a big win buffer 262g, an open buffer 262h, and an error buffer 262i.

The Start 1 buffer 262a stores the value of the Start 1 counter 203d set by the MPU 201 at 0.5 second intervals. The Start 2 buffer 262b stores the value of the Start 2 counter 203e set by the MPU 201 at 0.5 second intervals. The Normal 1 buffer 262c stores the value of the Normal 1 counter 203f set by the MPU 201 at 0.5 second intervals. The Normal 2 buffer 262d stores the value of the Normal 2 counter 203g set by the MPU 201 at 0.5 second intervals. The Large Winning Gate buffer 262e stores the value of the Large Winning Gate counter 203h set by the MPU 201 at 0.5 second intervals. The Out buffer 262f stores the value of the Out counter 203i set by the MPU 201 at 0.5 second intervals.

The jackpot buffer 262g stores information (jackpot information) when the game status set by the MPU 201 at 0.5 second intervals is a jackpot. The open buffer 262h stores information (door open information) when the game status set by the MPU 201 at 0.5 second intervals is when the inner frame 12 or front frame 14 is open. The error buffer 262i stores information (error information) when the game status set by the MPU 201 at 0.5 second intervals is when an error occurs.

In the bonus ratio management chip 207, the MPU 201 sets (writes) various buffers provided in the buffer 262, and when an interrupt signal is received from the MPU 201, the CPU 261 executes the setting information reception process (see FIG. 19) described below. The setting information reception process counts the number of winning balls for each winning slot based on the various information set in the buffer 262, counts the number of balls guided to the ball discharge path (i.e., balls shot into the play area), and stores these numbers of balls in the first reading/writing memory 263. Information regarding the play status of the pachinko machine 10 is also stored in the first reading/writing memory 263.

The setting register 265 is a register for setting the setting values required for the operation of the bonus ratio management chip 207. The setting register 265 is provided with at least a prize ball count data setting area 265a and a trigger setting area 265b.

The prize ball number table 202e (see FIG. 9) stored in the ROM 202 of the MPU 201 is set in the prize ball number data setting area 265a. The trigger information data 202f stored in the ROM 202 of the MPU 201 is set in the trigger setting area 265b. When the main control device 110 is powered on, the prize ball number table 202e and the trigger information data 202f are sent to the role ratio management chip 207. Then, the CPU 261 sets the prize ball number table 202e in the prize ball number data setting area 265a, and sets the trigger information data 202f in the trigger setting area 265b.

The prize ball number table 202e set in the prize ball number data setting area 275a is referenced by the CPU 261 when calculating the ratio of the prize balls. Here, the number of prize balls for each prize winning slot is determined by the model of the pachinko machine, and this information has been stored in the ROM 202. The prize ball number table 202e stored in the ROM 202 is sent to the prize ball number management chip 207 every time power is supplied, and the prize ball number information, which differs for each model, is set in the prize ball number data setting area 265a of the prize ball ratio management chip 207, so that it is not necessary to store the information on the number of prize balls, which differs for each model, in the ROM of the prize ball ratio management chip 207 at the manufacturing stage. Therefore, the production of the prize ball ratio management chip 207 can be simplified. In addition, if the model of the pachinko machine is different, it is only necessary to change the ROM 202, and the prize ball ratio can be accurately calculated even if the same prize ball ratio management chip 207 is used between different models of pachinko machines.

The trigger information data 202f set in the trigger setting area 265b is also referenced by the CPU 261, and it is determined whether or not it is time (trigger) to calculate the bonus ratio indicated by the trigger information data 202f. If it is determined that the timing has arrived, the process of calculating the bonus ratio is executed. Here, since there is a physical limit to the memory capacity in the bonus ratio management chip 207 that can record information related to the bonus ratio, it is preferable that the timing (trigger) for calculating the bonus ratio is determined by taking into consideration the probability of a big win and the probability of a special bonus in the pachinko machine 10, rather than fixing the timing in the bonus ratio management chip 207. Like this pachinko machine 10, trigger information data 202f that specifies the timing for calculating the role ratio determined in consideration of the jackpot probability, probability of special bonus, etc. in the pachinko machine 10 is stored in the ROM 202, and each time power is supplied, the trigger information data 202f is sent from the ROM 202 to the role ratio management chip 207, so that the role ratio management chip 207 can calculate the role ratio and consecutive role ratio at a timing that matches the jackpot probability, probability of special bonus, etc. in the pachinko machine 10, and record it in the second reading and writing memory 264.

In addition, only the prize ball number table 202e and trigger information data 202f transmitted during the start-up process (so-called boot process) executed by the MPU 201 when the main control device 110 is powered on are configured to be set in the prize ball number data setting area 265a and trigger setting area 265b. The start-up process is a so-called boot process, and is a non-user program that is not programmed by the user. This makes it possible to prevent a fraudster from setting a false prize ball number table or trigger information data in the prize ball number data setting area 265a and trigger setting area 265b.

The first read/write memory 263 is a memory for temporarily storing, while accumulating, information set in the buffer 262 by the MPU 201 until the timing for calculating the role ratio arrives. The first read/write memory 263 is configured with a volatile memory capable of reading and writing data, such as an SRAM. The first read/write memory 263 may also be configured with a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory), which is a volatile memory capable of reading and writing larger amounts of data.

The first reading memory 263 stores at least a start 1 counter 263a, a start 2 counter 263b, a normal 1 counter 263d, a normal 2 counter 263e, a big prize slot counter 263e, an out counter 263f, big win data 263g, open data 263h, error data 263i, and overtime data 263j. These counters and data stored in the first reading memory 263 are all initialized to 0 by the CPU 261 based on an initialization signal sent by the MPU 201 when the power is turned on to the main control device 110 (see S710 in FIG. 18).

These counters and data stored in the first reading/writing memory 263 are referenced by the role ratio calculation process executed by the CPU 261 when it is time to calculate the role ratio, and after the necessary processing is executed, they are all initialized to 0 again by the CPU 261 (S744 in FIG. 21). As a result, the first reading/writing memory 263 will again temporarily store, while accumulating, the information set in the buffer 262 by the MPU 201 until it is time to calculate the role ratio again.

The start 1 counter 263a is a counter for accumulating and counting the number of balls that have entered the first start port 64a by the time the bonus ratio is calculated. When the MPU 201 sets the value of the start 1 counter 203d, which indicates the number of balls that have entered the first start port 64a in 0.5 seconds, in the start 1 buffer 262a, the CPU 261 adds the value set in the start 1 buffer 262a (i.e., the number of balls that have entered the first start port 64a in 0.5 seconds) to the start 1 counter 263a.

The start 2 counter 263b is a counter for accumulating and counting the number of balls that have entered the second start port 64b until the timing for calculating the bonus ratio is reached. When the MPU 201 sets the value of the start 2 counter 203e, which indicates the number of balls that have entered the first start port 64a in 0.5 seconds, in the start 2 buffer 262b, the CPU 261 adds the value set in the start 2 buffer 262b (i.e., the number of balls that have entered the second start port 64b in 0.5 seconds) to the start 2 counter 263b.

The normal 1 counter 263c is a counter for accumulating and counting the number of balls that have entered the first normal winning port 63a by the time the ratio of the winning combination is calculated. When the MPU 201 sets the value of the normal 1 counter 203f, which indicates the number of balls that have entered the first normal winning port 63a in 0.5 seconds, in the normal 1 buffer 262c, the CPU 261 adds the value set in the normal 1 buffer 262c (i.e., the number of balls that have entered the first normal winning port 63a in 0.5 seconds) to the normal 1 counter 263c.

The normal 2 counter 263d is a counter for accumulating and counting the number of balls that have entered the second normal winning port 63b by the time the ratio of the winning combination is calculated. When the MPU 201 sets the value of the normal 2 counter 203g, which indicates the number of balls that have entered the second normal winning port 63b in 0.5 seconds, in the normal 2 buffer 262d, the CPU 261 adds the value set in the normal 2 buffer 262d (i.e., the number of balls that have entered the second normal winning port 63b in 0.5 seconds) to the normal 2 counter 263d.

The large prize opening counter 263e is a counter for accumulating and counting the number of balls that have entered the large prize opening 65a by the time the ratio of winning devices is calculated. When the MPU 201 sets the value of the large prize opening counter 203h, which indicates the number of balls that have entered the large prize opening 65a in 0.5 seconds, in the large prize opening buffer 262e, the CPU 261 adds the value set in the large prize opening buffer 262e (i.e., the number of balls that have entered the large prize opening 65a in 0.5 seconds) to the large prize opening counter 263e.

The out counter 263f is a counter for accumulating and counting the number of balls guided to the ball discharge path (i.e., balls shot into the play area) until the timing for calculating the role ratio is reached. When the MPU 201 sets the value of the out counter 203i, which indicates the number of balls guided to the ball discharge path for 0.5 seconds, in the out buffer 262f, the CPU 261 adds the value set in the out buffer 262f (i.e., the number of balls guided to the ball discharge path for 0.5 seconds) to the out counter 263f. When the trigger for calculating the role ratio set in the trigger setting area 265b is the "number of shots," the out counter 263f is referenced, and when the number of balls (number of shots) indicated by the out counter 263f becomes equal to or greater than the "predetermined number of balls" set in the trigger setting area 265b, the CPU 261 executes the role ratio calculation process.

The jackpot data 263g is data that specifies jackpot information indicating that the pachinko machine 10 has reached a jackpot, together with the time at which the jackpot has been reached, if the gaming state of the pachinko machine 10 has reached a jackpot by the time the ratio of the bonus items is calculated. When the MPU 201 sets jackpot information indicating that the gaming state of the pachinko machine 10 is in a jackpot in the jackpot buffer 262g, the CPU 261 adds the jackpot information to the jackpot data 263g together with the current time indicated by the RTC 266.

The open data 263h is data that specifies door open information indicating that the pachinko machine 10 has entered a door open state, together with the time at which the door is open, when the game state of the pachinko machine 10 has become one in which the inner frame 12 or the front frame 14 (door) is open by the time the role ratio is calculated. When the MPU 201 sets door open information indicating that the inner frame 12 or the front frame 14 is open as the game state of the pachinko machine 10 in the open buffer 262h, the CPU 261 adds the door open information to the open data 263h together with the current time indicated by the RTC 266.

Error data 263g is data that specifies error information indicating that pachinko machine 10 is in an error, together with the time at which the game state of pachinko machine 10 is in an error, if the timing for calculating the role ratio arrives. When MPU 201 sets error information indicating that the game state of pachinko machine 10 is in an error in error in error buffer 262i, CPU 261 adds the error information to error data 263i together with the current time indicated by RTC 266.

After-hours data 263j is data that specifies after-hours information indicating that some operation was performed on the pachinko machine 10 late at night, together with the time of day, when the MPU 201 sets (writes) the buffer 262 during late-night hours (for example, between midnight and 6 a.m.), which are usually outside business hours. When the MPU 201 sets (writes) the buffer 262, the CPU 262 reads the time from the RTC 266, and if it is determined that the time is during the late-night hours, the after-hours information is added to the after-hours data 263j together with the current time indicated by the RTC 266.

The second read/write memory 264 is composed of a non-volatile memory, such as a flash memory, from which data can be read and written. The second read/write memory 264 only needs to retain the stored data even when the power is turned off. In addition to the flash memory, other types of memory such as a ferroelectric memory (FeRAM), a magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM), a resistive random access memory (ReRAM), etc. may be used.
Alternatively, the second read/write memory 264 may be configured as a dynamic random access memory (DRAM), and the power supply device 115 may continue to supply a backup voltage to the DRAM even while the power is off, thereby allowing data to be held even while the power is off.

The second reading memory 264 stores at least the following: bonus item ratio data 264a, consecutive bonus item ratio data 264b, number of shot balls data 264c, and game information data 264d.

The reel ratio data 264a is data representing the reel ratio calculated for each timing (trigger) at which the reel ratio is calculated, and recorded together with the time at which the reel ratio was calculated. The consecutive reel ratio data 264b is data representing the consecutive reel ratio calculated at the same timing (trigger), and recorded together with the time at which the reel ratio was calculated.

The role ratio here indicates the ratio of the number of balls (prize balls) paid out in conjunction with winning the second start opening 64a and the large prize opening 65a, which activate the role, to the total number of balls (prize balls) paid out to the player, and is set to be 70% or less. The consecutive role ratio indicates the ratio of the number of balls (prize balls) paid out in conjunction with winning the large prize opening 65a, which activates the role, to the total number of balls (prize balls) paid out to the player, and is set to be 60% or less.

Originally, the role ratio and the continuous role ratio refer to the above ratio when the test shot test of the game ball is performed for 10 hours, but here, for each timing (trigger) for calculating the role ratio indicated by the trigger information data 202f set in the trigger setting area 265b, the CPU 261 calculates the ratio of the number of balls (prize balls) paid out in association with winning the second start hole 64a and the large prize hole 65a to the total number of balls (prize balls) paid out to the player from the time when the power is turned on until the first time is reached, or from the previous time to the current time, and records it in the role ratio data 264a together with the time at that time. Also, the ratio of the number of balls (prize balls) paid out in association with winning the large prize hole 65a to the total number of balls (prize balls) paid out to the player from the time when the power is turned on until the first time is reached, or from the previous time to the current time, is calculated and recorded in the continuous role ratio data 264b together with the time at that time.

Even if the power is cut off, the power stored in the capacitor 267 is used to calculate the role ratio and consecutive role ratio based on the number of balls (prize balls) paid out during the period from the timing (trigger) for calculating the most recent role ratio until it is determined that the power is cut off, and these are recorded together with the time in the role ratio data 264a or consecutive role ratio data 264b. As a result, after the role ratio and consecutive role ratio are calculated and recorded, the role ratio and consecutive role ratio can be calculated without omission even for the number of prize balls paid out before the power is cut off.

The number of balls that have entered the first start port 64a indicated by the start 1 counter 263a stored in the first reading memory 263, the number of balls that have entered the second start port 64b indicated by the start 2 counter 263b, the number of balls that have entered the first normal winning port 63a indicated by the normal 1 counter 263c, the number of balls that have entered the second normal winning port 63b indicated by the normal 2 counter 263d, and the number of balls that have entered the large winning port 65a indicated by the large winning port counter 263e are multiplied by the number of prize balls associated with each winning port indicated in the prize ball number table 202e (see FIG. 9) set in the prize ball number data setting area 265a, and the number of balls paid out to each winning port in connection with the winning of that winning port can be calculated. Then, by adding these up, the total number of balls paid out to the player can be calculated.

This allows the ratio of the combination of the number of balls paid out for winning the second start opening 64b and the number of balls paid out for winning the large winning opening 65a to the total number of balls paid out to the player to be calculated, thereby allowing the ratio of the combination of the number of balls paid out for winning the large winning opening 65a to be calculated, thereby allowing the ratio of the consecutive combination of the balls to be calculated, thereby allowing the ratio of the number of balls paid out for winning the large winning opening 65a to the total number of balls paid out to the player to be calculated, thereby allowing the ratio of the consecutive combination of the balls to be calculated, thereby allowing the ratio of the number of balls paid out for winning the large winning opening 65a ... consecutive combination of the balls to be calculated, thereby allowing the ratio of the number of balls paid out for winning the large winning opening 65a to be calculated, thereby allowing the ratio of the consecutive combination of the balls to be calculated, thereby allowing the ratio of the consecutive combination of the balls to be calculated, thereby allowing the ratio of the consecutive combination of the balls to be calculated, thereby allowing the ratio of the consecutive combination of the balls to be calculated, thereby allowing the ratio of the consecutive combination of the balls to be calculated, thereby allowing the ratio of the consecutive combination of the balls to be calculated, thereby allowing the ratio of the consecutive combination of the balls to be calculated, thereby allowing the ratio of the consecutive combination of the balls to be calculated, thereby allowing the ratio of the consecutive combination of the balls to be calculated, thereby allowing the

The number of fired balls data 264c is data that records the total number of balls fired into the play area counted by the out counter 263f of the first reading and writing memory 263, together with the time at each timing (trigger) at which the ratio of the special features is calculated. The total number of balls fired into the play area from the time the power is turned on until the first timing is reached, or from the previous timing to the current timing, is indicated by the out counter 263f. When it is time to calculate the ratio of the special features, the value of the out counter 263f at that time is recorded in the number of fired balls data 264c together with the time at that time indicated by the RTC 266.

The game status data 264d is data in which the jackpot information, door open information, error information, and after-hours information stored in the jackpot data 263g, open data 263h, error data 263i, and after-hours data 263j of the first reading memory 263 are recorded together with the time associated with each piece of information. When it is time to calculate the ratio of the game devices, the jackpot information, door open information, error information, and after-hours information stored in the jackpot data 263g, open data 263h, error data 263i, and after-hours data 263j of the first reading memory 263, and the time associated with each piece of information are recorded in the game status data 264d by the CPU 261.

At this time, for example, if jackpot information is stored in jackpot data 263g at intervals of less than one second, this means that jackpots are occurring continuously in the game state, so only the oldest jackpot information and its time are recorded in game state data 264d. Similarly, for door open information, error information, and after-hours information, if each piece of information is stored in each data 263h-j at intervals of less than one second, only the oldest information and its time are recorded in game state data 264d. This makes it possible to keep the storage capacity required for game state data 264d small.

When recording jackpot information, door open information, error information, and after-hours information in the game play status data 264d, the CPU 261 sorts each piece of information from oldest to newest and records it in the game play status data 264d. Then, when outputting the information recorded in the game play status data 264d to the inspection device 300, the CPU 261 outputs the information in the order in which it was recorded. As a result, each piece of information is output in order from oldest to newest, and the inspection device 300 can easily analyze changes in the game play status over time by analyzing the information in the order in which it was output.

However, the CPU 261 does not necessarily have to store each piece of information in the game status data 264d in order from the oldest information. In this case, when outputting information recorded in the game status data 264d to the inspection device 300, the CPU 261 may read the information from the game status data 264d in order from the oldest information and transmit it to the inspection device 300, or the CPU 261 may output each piece of information to the inspection device 300 in the order in which it was recorded, and the inspection device 300 may rearrange the received pieces of information in order from the oldest information.

The jackpot information, door open information, error information, and after-hours information stored in the jackpot data 263g, open data 263h, error data 263i, and after-hours data 263j of the first reading memory 263 may all be recorded in the game status data 264d along with the associated time. Although the game status data 264d requires a large amount of storage capacity, by outputting this to the inspection device 300, the operating status of the pachinko machine 10 can be analyzed while observing minute changes in the game status.

Here, the information on the role ratio, consecutive role ratio, and total number of balls shot into the play area that can be recorded in the role ratio data 264a, consecutive role ratio data 264b, and number of shot balls data 264c is each limited to a predetermined number (e.g., 1024). In addition, the total number of jackpot information, door open information, error information, and out-of-hours information that can be recorded in the game status data 264d is also limited to a predetermined number (e.g., 16384). If a predetermined number of pieces of information have already been recorded in the role ratio data 264a, consecutive role ratio data 264b, number of shot balls data 264c, or game status data 264d, the oldest information is erased and the latest information is recorded in its place. For example, the feature ratio data 264a, the continuous feature ratio data 264b, the number of shot balls data 264c, and the game status data 264d are each configured as a ring buffer, and a memory for managing the position where information is written on the ring buffer is prepared separately in the second read/write memory 264 or in a non-volatile memory provided separately from the second read/write memory 264, and the writing position is shifted by one each time information is written, thereby erasing the oldest information and recording the latest information there. In this way, by setting an upper limit on the number of pieces of information that can be recorded in each data, it is possible to prevent the storage capacity of the second read/write memory 264 from increasing. In addition, when the number of pieces of information to be recorded in each data reaches the upper limit, the oldest information is erased and the latest information is recorded, so that the inspection device 300 can perform analysis, including the latest state of the pachinko machine 10. In addition, by preparing a memory for managing the position where information is written on the ring buffer in the second read/write memory 264, even if the power is cut off in the middle, new information can be added and recorded from the continuation of the information stored so far after the power is supplied.

When the inspection device 300 is connected to the inspection terminal 207a, an interrupt is generated for the CPU 261, and the CPU 261 transmits the role ratio data 264a, the continuous role ratio data 264b, the number of shot balls memory 264c, and the game status data 264d recorded in the second reading/writing memory 264 to the inspection device 300 in sequence. When transmitting each data 264a-d to the inspection device 300, the CPU 261 reads each piece of information recorded in each data 264a-d (including the recorded time information associated with each piece of information) in the order in which they were recorded, and transmits them to the inspection device 300. Simply connecting the inspection device 300 to the inspection terminal 207a generates an interrupt, and a process of transmitting each piece of information recorded in the second reading/writing memory 264 to the inspection device 300 is executed, so that the transmission can be quickly executed and completed. Therefore, the inspection device 300 can analyze the ratio of reels and the ratio of consecutive reels from the information received from the pachinko machine 10, and can quickly and easily detect fraudulent activity from these ratios of reels and the ratio of consecutive reels.

Specifically, if the data to be transmitted to the inspection device 300 does not satisfy the upper limit number of recordable information (the above-mentioned specified number) set for each piece of data, the CPU 261 sequentially reads out the information recorded from the position where information was first written to the data to the position indicated by the memory that manages the position where information is written (i.e., the position where the information at the latest time is recorded) and transmits it to the inspection device 300. On the other hand, if the data to be transmitted to the inspection device 300 satisfies the upper limit number of recordable information (the above-mentioned specified number) set for each piece of data, the CPU 261 shifts the read out position by one, starting from the next position (i.e., the position where the information at the oldest time is recorded) indicated by the memory that manages the position where information is written, and sequentially reads out the information recorded up to the position indicated by the memory that manages the position where information is written (i.e., the position where the information at the latest time is recorded), and transmits it to the inspection device 300. As a result, information is output to the inspection device 300 in order from the oldest information.

The second reading and writing memory 264 is composed of a non-volatile memory, so even if the power is cut off midway, the second reading and writing memory 264 continues to record information related to the ratio of reels and the like in the pachinko machine 10. Therefore, the inspection device 300 can receive and analyze information related to the ratio of reels and the like, including information before the power was cut off.

Here, some cheaters try to increase the number of winning balls at the second starting hole 64b by fraudulently opening the electric device at the second starting hole 64b in some way or by guiding balls to the second starting hole 64b, thereby increasing the chances of winning the jackpot. Also, some cheaters try to win many winning balls by fraudulently opening the opening and closing plate at the large winning hole 65a in some way or by guiding balls to the large winning hole 65a. When such fraudulent behavior occurs, the device ratio and consecutive device ratio become high.

In response to this, in this pachinko machine 10, a bonus feature ratio management chip 207 is provided in the main control device 110, and the bonus feature ratio management chip 207 obtains winning information for each winning slot from the MPU 201 of the main control device 110, thereby calculating and continuously recording the bonus feature ratio and consecutive bonus feature ratio in the pachinko machine 10 at a predetermined timing. Then, when the inspection device 300 is connected to the inspection terminal 207a, the bonus feature ratio and consecutive bonus feature ratio recorded in the bonus feature ratio management chip 207 are output to the inspection device 300. This makes it possible to discover any fraudulent activity by analyzing the bonus feature ratio and consecutive bonus feature ratio in the inspection device 300.

In addition, in this pachinko machine 10, information regarding the number of balls shot into the play area and information regarding the play status are also recorded in the bonus ratio management chip 207 and output to the inspection device 300. Therefore, if the analysis by the inspection device 300 indicates that the bonus ratio and continuous bonus ratio are high, the cause can be identified based on the information regarding the number of balls shot into the play area and information regarding the play status.

The reel ratio management chip 207 is provided in the main control device 110 and is stored in one board box 100 together with the MPU 201, ROM 202, etc. This makes it difficult for a fraudster to alter the winning information, etc., input to the reel ratio management chip 207. It is also difficult to tamper with or erase the reel ratio and consecutive reel ratio recorded in the reel ratio management chip 207. This makes it possible to maintain a high level of reliability for the reel ratio and consecutive reel ratio calculated and output by the reel ratio management chip 207.

In addition, the role ratio management chip 207 is provided with a first reading/writing memory 263 and a second reading/writing memory 264, and the first reading/writing memory 263 counts the number of winning balls for each winning port, and calculates the role ratio and the continuous role ratio based on the number of winning balls for each winning port counted in the first reading/writing memory 263, and records them in the second reading/writing memory 264. Here, the second reading/writing memory 264 is composed of a non-volatile memory, but generally, non-volatile memory requires a large amount of power for writing, takes a long time to write, and has a limit on the number of times it can be written from the viewpoint of durability. In this embodiment, by separating the first reading/writing memory 263 composed of a volatile memory and the second reading/writing memory 264 composed of a non-volatile memory, first, the first reading/writing memory 263 is used to count and store the number of winning balls for each winning port at high speed, so that the balls that have won at each winning port can be counted without missing any. Then, later, by calculating the ratio of winning devices and the ratio of consecutive winning devices from the number of winning balls stored in the first reading/writing memory 263 at a specified timing (trigger), and recording the calculated ratio in the second reading/writing memory 264, the number of times data is written to the second reading/writing memory 264 can be reduced, thereby preventing the above-mentioned problems caused by using non-volatile memory from becoming apparent.

Returning to FIG. 5, the explanation will continue. The payout control device 111 drives the payout motor 216 to control the payout of prize balls and loan balls. The MPU 211, which is a calculation device, has a ROM 212 that stores the control program executed by the MPU 211, fixed value data, etc., and a RAM 213 that is used as a work memory, etc.

The RAM 213 of the payout control device 111, like the RAM 203 of the main control device 110, has a stack area in which the contents of the internal registers of the MPU 211 and the return addresses of the control programs executed by the MPU 211 are stored, and a work area (working area) in which the values of various flags, counters, I/O, etc. are stored. The RAM 213 is configured to be able to retain (back up) data by receiving backup voltage from the power supply device 115 even after the power supply of the pachinko machine 10 is cut off, and all data stored in the RAM 213 is backed up. In addition, like the MPU 201 of the main control device 110, the NMI terminal of the MPU 211 is also configured to receive a power outage signal SG1 from the power outage monitoring circuit 252 when the power supply is cut off due to a power outage or the like, and when the power outage signal SG1 is input to the MPU 211, an NMI interrupt process (see FIG. 15) is immediately executed as a process during a power outage.

The MPU 211 of the payout control device 111 is connected to an input/output port 215 via a bus line 214 consisting of an address bus and a data bus. The main control device 110, payout motor 216, launch control device 112, etc. are each connected to the input/output port 215. In addition, although not shown, a prize ball detection switch for detecting the paid-out prize balls is connected to the payout control device 111. Note that the prize ball detection switch is connected to the payout control device 111, but is not connected to the main control device 110.

When the main control device 110 issues an instruction to launch a ball, the launch control device 112 controls the ball launch unit 112a so that the strength of the ball launch corresponds to the amount of rotation of the operating handle 51. The ball launch unit 112a is equipped with a launch solenoid and electromagnet (not shown), and the launch solenoid and electromagnet are permitted to operate when certain conditions are met. Specifically, the touch sensor 51a detects that the player is touching the operating handle 51, and on condition that the firing stop switch 51b for stopping the launch of the ball is off (not operated), the launch solenoid is excited in accordance with the amount of rotation of the operating handle 51, and the ball is launched at intervals of approximately 0.6 seconds with a strength corresponding to the amount of operation of the operating handle 51.

The audio lamp control device 113 controls the audio output of the audio output device (such as a speaker not shown) 226, the output of turning on and off the lamp display device (such as the illumination units 29 to 33 and the display lamp 34) 227, and the settings of the display mode of the effects performed by the third pattern display device 81, such as the variable effects and continuous preview effects.

The MPU 221, which is a calculation device, has a ROM 222 that stores the control program executed by the MPU 221, fixed value data, etc., and a RAM 223 that is used as a work memory, etc.

The MPU 221 of the audio and lamp control device 113 is connected to an input/output port 225 via a bus line 224 consisting of an address bus and a data bus. The input/output port 225 is connected to the main control device 110, the display control device 114, the audio output device 226, the lamp display device 227, the frame button 22, etc.

The audio and lamp control device 113 monitors input from the frame button 22, and when the player operates the frame button 22, it controls the audio output device 226 and the lamp display device 227, and also instructs the display control device 114, to change the stage of the performance displayed on the third pattern display device 81 or to change the performance mode during a super reach.

When the stage is changed, a rear image change command including information about the changed stage is sent to the display control device 114 so that a rear image corresponding to the changed stage is displayed on the third pattern display device 81. Here, the rear image refers to an image displayed on the rear side of the third pattern, which is the main image to be displayed on the third pattern display device 81.

When the frame button 22 is operated for a purpose other than changing the stage, such as changing the presentation mode of a super reach, a frame button operation command is sent to the display control device 114. Upon receiving the frame button operation command, the display control device 114 displays an image corresponding to the operation of the frame button 22 on the third pattern display device 81.

RAM 223 has a command memory area (not shown) that temporarily stores commands received from main control device 110 until processing corresponding to the command is performed, and a fluctuation start flag (not shown) that indicates that a fluctuation performance should start when in the on state.

The command memory area is configured as a ring buffer, and data is read and written using a FIFO (First In First Out) method. When the command determination process (see FIG. 25) of the voice lamp processing device 113 is executed, the first command stored in the command memory area is read out from among the unprocessed commands stored therein, and the command determination process analyzes the command and performs processing according to the command.

The fluctuation start flag is initially set to off when the power is turned on, and is turned on when a stop type command output from the main control unit 110 is received (see S1005 in FIG. 25). It is then turned off when the fluctuation display setting is made in the third pattern display device 81 (see S1102 in FIG. 26).

The display control device 114 is a device that controls the screen display of the third pattern display device (LCD) 81, and controls various screen displays such as the changing display of the third pattern (changing performance) and the jackpot performance when a jackpot is hit, according to commands sent from the audio lamp control device 113 (main control device 111).

The display control device 114 has an MPU 231, a ROM (program ROM) 232, a work RAM 233, a video RAM 234, a character ROM 235, an image controller 236, an input port 237, an output port 238, and bus lines 239 and 240. The input side of the input port 237 is connected to the output side of the voice lamp control device 113, and the MPU 231, ROM 232, work RAM 233, and image controller 236 are connected to the output side of the input port 237. The image controller 236 is connected to the video RAM 234 and character ROM 235, and is also connected to the output port 238 via the bus line 240. The output side of the output port 238 is connected to the third pattern display device 81. In addition, even if the pachinko machine 10 is of a different model with a different probability of winning a jackpot or a different number of prize balls paid out per jackpot, there are models with the exact same specifications for the pattern configuration displayed on the third pattern display device 81, so the display control device 114 is made into a common component to reduce costs.

The MPU 231 of the display control device 114 controls the display content of the third pattern display device 81 based on the display variable pattern command and various other commands output from the voice lamp control device 113. The ROM 232 is a memory for storing various control programs and fixed value data executed by the MPU 231. The work RAM 233 is a memory for temporarily storing work data and flags used when the various programs are executed by the MPU 231.

The character ROM 235 is a memory that stores data (character information) for effects such as the designs (background design and third design) displayed on the third design display device 81 in a compressed format. The video RAM 234 is a memory that has an area (not shown) for storing multiple pieces of character information read from the character ROM 235 in a decompressed format to generate an image to be displayed on the third design display device 81, and a frame buffer area (not shown) for temporarily storing one frame of display data generated using at least a portion of the decompressed multiple pieces of character information until it is displayed.

The image controller 236 adjusts the timing of the MPU 231, video RAM 234, and output port 238 to mediate the reading and writing of data, and also reads out the display data stored in the frame buffer area of the video RAM 234 at a predetermined timing and displays it on the third pattern display device 81.

The power supply unit 115 has a power supply unit 251 for supplying power to each unit of the pachinko machine 10, a power failure monitoring circuit 252 for monitoring power interruption due to a power failure or the like, and a RAM erase switch circuit 253 provided with a RAM erase switch 122 (see FIG. 3). The power supply unit 251 is a device that supplies the necessary operating voltage to each of the control devices 110-114, etc. through a power supply path not shown. In summary, the power supply unit 251 takes in an externally supplied 24-volt AC voltage, generates a 12-volt voltage for driving various switches such as the various switches 208, solenoids such as the solenoid 209, motors, etc., a 5-volt voltage for logic, a backup voltage for RAM backup, etc., and supplies the necessary voltages to each of the control devices 110-114, etc.

The power failure monitoring circuit 252 is a circuit for outputting a power failure signal SG1 to each NMI terminal of the MPU 201 of the main control unit 110 and the MPU 211 of the dispensing control unit 111 when the power is cut off due to a power failure or the like. The power failure monitoring circuit 252 monitors the voltage of 24 volts DC, which is the maximum voltage output from the power supply unit 251, and when this voltage falls below 22 volts, it determines that a power failure (power failure, power cut) has occurred and outputs the power failure signal SG1 to the NMI terminals of the main control unit 110 and the dispensing control unit 111. By outputting the power failure signal SG1, the main control unit 110 and the dispensing control unit 111 recognize the occurrence of a power failure and execute NMI interrupt processing. The power supply unit 251 is configured to maintain the output of the 5 volt voltage, which is the drive voltage of the control system, at a normal value for a sufficient time to execute the NMI interrupt processing, even after the voltage of 24 volts DC stabilized falls below 22 volts. Therefore, the main control unit 110 and the dispensing control unit 111 can execute and complete the NMI interrupt processing (see FIG. 18) normally.

The RAM clear switch circuit 253 is a circuit for outputting a RAM clear signal SG2 to the main control device 110 to clear the backup data when the RAM clear switch 122 (see FIG. 3) is pressed. When the main control device 110 inputs the RAM clear signal SG2 when the pachinko machine 10 is powered on, it clears the backup data and sends a payout initialization command to the payout control device 111 to clear the backup data in the payout control device 111.

Next, the control processes executed by the MPU 201 in the main control device 110 will be described with reference to the flowcharts in Figures 10 to 17. The processes of the MPU 201 can be broadly divided into start-up processes that are started when the power is turned on, main processes that are executed after the start-up processes, timer interrupt processes that are started periodically (every 2 millisecond period in this embodiment), and NMI interrupt processes that are started by input of a power failure signal SG1 to the NMI terminal. For ease of explanation, the timer interrupt processes and NMI interrupt processes will be described first, followed by the start-up processes and main processes.

Figure 10 is a flowchart showing timer interrupt processing executed by the MPU 201 in the main control unit 110. Timer interrupt processing is a periodic process that is repeatedly executed, for example, every 2 milliseconds. By executing this timer interrupt processing by the MPU 201, various processes that should be executed periodically are performed.

In this timer interrupt process, first, external output processing is executed (S101). In the timer interrupt process and main processing, commands to be sent to the dispensing control device 111, the voice lamp control device 113, etc. are generated based on various processes, and temporarily stored in a command transmission ring buffer provided in RAM 203. In the external output process of S101, output data of commands, etc. stored in this command transmission ring buffer is sent to each sub-side control device (peripheral control device).

For example, the reserved ball count command set in the start winning process (see FIG. 12) is sent to the voice lamp control device 113. In addition, the fluctuation pattern command, stop type command, confirmation command, etc. set in the fluctuation process (see FIG. 13) and the fluctuation start process (FIG. 14), which is one process of the fluctuation process, are sent to the voice lamp control device 113. In addition, a ball launch signal set when launching a ball in the process of S111 described below is sent to the launch control device 112.

Next, the prize ball count signal and payout abnormality signal received from the payout control device 111 are read (S102), and then, in the case of a jackpot state, a large opening opening/closing process is executed to open or close the large winning opening (large opening) 65a of the variable winning device 65 (S103). That is, the large winning opening 65a is opened for each round in the jackpot state, and it is determined whether the maximum opening time of the large winning opening 65a has elapsed or whether a specified number of balls have entered the large winning opening 65a. Then, when either of these conditions is met, the large winning opening 65a is closed. This opening and closing of the large winning opening 65a is repeated a predetermined number of rounds.

Next, the second symbol display device 83 executes a display control process for the second symbol (for example, a "circle" or "x" symbol) (S105). In simple terms, on the condition that the ball has passed through the through gate 67, the value of the second winning random number counter C4 is acquired at the timing of the passage, and the second symbol display device 83 performs a variable display of the second symbol. Then, a lottery for the second symbol is performed based on the value of the second winning random number counter C4, and when the second symbol is in a winning state, the electric device associated with the second starting hole 64b is opened for a predetermined time.

Next, a switch reading process is executed (S106). That is, the state of the various switches 208 connected to the main control unit 110 is read, and the state of the switch is determined and the detection information (winning detection information) is saved. Also, based on the winning detection information, a prize ball command corresponding to the number of won balls to be sent to the payout control unit 111 is set in a command sending ring buffer provided in the RAM 203. As a result, the prize ball command is sent to the payout control unit 111 by the processing of S101 of the timer interrupt processing that is executed next. Details of the switch reading process (S106) will be described later with reference to FIG. 11.

Next, the first initial value random number counter CINI1 and the second initial value random number counter CINI2 are updated (S107). Specifically, the first initial value random number counter CINI1 is incremented by 1, and when the counter value reaches the maximum value (899 in this embodiment), it is cleared to 0. The updated value of the first initial value random number counter CINI1 is then stored in the corresponding counter buffer area of RAM 203. Similarly, the second initial value random number counter CINI2 is incremented by 1, and when the counter value reaches the maximum value (250 in this embodiment), it is cleared to 0, and the updated value of the second initial value random number counter CINI2 is stored in the corresponding counter buffer area of RAM 203.

Furthermore, the first hit random number counter C1, the first hit type counter C2, the stop pattern selection counter C3, the variation type counter CS1, and the second hit random number counter C4 are updated (S108). Specifically, the first hit random number counter C1, the first hit type counter C2, the stop pattern selection counter C3, the stop type counter CS1, and the second hit random number counter C4 are each incremented by 1, and when their counter values reach their maximum values (899, 99, 99, 198, and 250, respectively, in this embodiment), they are each cleared to 0. In addition, when the first hit random number counter C1 or the second hit random number counter C4 has completed one cycle, the value of the first initial value random number counter CINI1 or the second initial value random number counter CINI2 at that time is read as the initial value of the first hit random number counter C1 or the second hit random number counter C2, and the initial value is set to the first hit random number counter C1 or the second hit random number counter C2. Then, the updated values of each counter C1 to C4 are stored in the corresponding counter buffer area of RAM 203.

Next, a process for displaying the first symbol display device 37 and a variation process for setting the variation pattern of the third symbol by the third symbol display device 81 are executed (S109), and then a start winning process associated with a win at either the first starting hole 64a or the second starting hole 64b is executed (S110). Details of the variation process will be described later with reference to FIG. 13, and details of the start winning process will be described later with reference to FIG. 12.

After the start winning process is executed, the launch control process is executed (S111), and other processes that should be executed periodically are executed (S112), and the timer interrupt process is terminated. The launch control process is a process that determines whether the ball launch is on or off, on the condition that the touch sensor 51a detects that the player is touching the operation handle 51, and the shot stop switch 51b for stopping the launch is not operated. Then, when the ball launch is on, the ball launch signal information is set in the command transmission ring buffer provided in the work RAM 203 in order to send the ball launch signal to the launch control device 112. As a result, the ball launch signal is sent to the launch control device 112 via the payout control device 111 by the process of S101 of the timer interrupt process that is executed next.

Other processes (S112) include a process for judging whether the pachinko machine 10 is in an error state. For example, if the ball guided to the ball discharge path (i.e., the ball fired into the play area) is not detected by the out switch 208f for a predetermined time or more despite the ball firing signal information being set in the process of S111, it is judged that there is an error state as there is a possibility of ball jamming. Also, if a payout abnormality signal is read in the process of S102, it is judged that there is an error state in the payout of the balls. Furthermore, if the pachinko machine 10 is subjected to large vibrations or if it is judged that a magnet has been brought close to the pachinko machine 10, it is also judged that there is an error state as there is a possibility of cheating in the game.

Whether or not a large vibration has been applied to the pachinko machine 10 is determined by providing a vibration sensor in the pachinko machine 10 that detects vibrations, configuring the output of the vibration sensor to be input to the input/output port 205 of the main control device 201, and reading the output of the vibration sensor during the processing of S112. Whether or not a magnet has been brought close to the pachinko machine 10 is determined by providing a magnetic sensor in the pachinko machine 10 that detects changes in magnetism, configuring the output of the magnetic sensor to be input to the input/output port 205 of the main control device 201, and reading the output of the magnetic sensor during the processing of S112.

If it is determined in the process of S112 that an error state exists, an error command including information regarding the type of error is set in a command transmission ring buffer provided in RAM 203. As a result, the error command is transmitted to the voice lamp control device 112 by the process of S101 of the timer interrupt process that is executed next. Then, a warning sound corresponding to the type of error can be output from the voice output device 226, the display lamp 34 can be turned on or blinked, and an image corresponding to the type of error can be displayed on the third pattern display device 81.

Next, the switch reading process (S106), which is one process of the timer interrupt process executed by the MPU 201 in the main control unit 110, will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG. 11. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing this switch reading process (S106).

In the switch reading process, first, the outputs of the first start port switch 208a, the second start port switch 208b, the first normal prize port switch 208c, the second normal prize port switch 208d, the large prize port switch 208f and the out switch 208g are read by referring to the start 1 port 205a, the start 2 port 205b, the normal 1 port 205c, the normal 2 port 205d, the large prize port port 205e and the out port 205f of the input/output port 205, and a determination is made as to whether or not a prize has been won at the first start port 64a, the second start port 64b, the first normal prize port 63a, the second normal prize port 63b and the second prize port 65a, and whether or not a ball has been guided to the ball discharge path, and the detection information (winning detection information) is saved (S151). The determination of whether a ball has won and whether a ball has been guided to the ball discharge path is made over three timer interrupt processes based on the output of each switch 208a to 208f.

Next, if any of the first start port 64a, the second start port 64b, the first normal winning port 63a, the second normal winning port 63b, and the third winning port 65a is determined to have won a prize by the processing of S151 based on the winning detection information, a prize ball command corresponding to the number of balls won is set in the command transmission ring buffer provided in RAM 203 so that the number of prize balls corresponding to the winning port (i.e., the number specified by the prize ball number table 202e) is paid out (S152). As a result, the prize ball command is sent to the payout control device 111 by the processing of S101 of the timer interrupt processing that is executed next.

Then, based on the winning detection information, if any of the first start port 64a, the second start port 64b, the first normal winning port 63a, the second normal winning port 63b, and the third winning port 65a is determined to have won by the processing of S151, the counter corresponding to the winning port where the winning port has won is counted up by one among the start 1 counter 203d, start 2 counter 203e, normal 1 counter 203f, normal 2 counter 203g, and big winning port counter 203h, and if it is determined that a ball has been guided to the ball discharge path, the out counter 203i is counted up by one (S153).

Next, it is determined whether 0.5 seconds have passed since the winning information (the values of each counter 203d-i and information about the gaming status of the pachinko machine 10) was set in the previous bonus ratio management chip 207 (S154). As a result, if 0.5 seconds have not passed (S154: No), the switch reading process ends and returns to the timer interrupt process.

On the other hand, if it is determined that 0.5 seconds have passed (S154: Yes), the processes of S155 to S157 are executed. First, in the process of S155, the values of the Start 1 Counter 203d, Start 2 Counter 203e, Normal 1 Counter 203f, Normal 2 Counter 203g, and Big Win Counter 203h are treated as winning information, and the value of the Out Counter 203i is treated as out information, and these are set in the bonus ratio management chip 207a together with the game status of the pachinko machine 10 at that time (S155).

As a result, the value of the Start 1 counter 203d is set to the Start 1 buffer 262a of the feature ratio management chip 207, the value of the Start 2 counter 203e is set to the Start 2 buffer 262b of the feature ratio management chip 207, the value of the Regular 1 counter 203f is set to the Regular 1 buffer 262c of the feature ratio management chip 207, the value of the Regular 2 counter 203g is set to the Regular 1 buffer 262d of the feature ratio management chip 207, the value of the Big Winning Gate counter 203h is set to the Big Winning Gate buffer 262e of the feature ratio management chip 207, and the value of the Out counter 203i is set to the Out buffer 262f of the feature ratio management chip 207.

In this way, the counters 203d-203i continue to count the number of balls for 0.5 seconds, and when 0.5 seconds have elapsed, the values of the counters 203d-203h become winning information, and the value of the out counter 203i becomes out information, which are set together with information indicating the game status at that time in the bonus ratio management chip 207. That is, in this pachinko machine 10, the MPU 201 counts the number of balls that have won in each winning slot at 0.5 second intervals, and also counts the number of balls guided to the ball discharge path (i.e., the number of balls used in the game), and sets the counting results in the bonus ratio management chip 207. As described below, the bonus ratio management chip 207 accumulates these counted values for each value until it is time to calculate the bonus ratio, and counts the number of balls that have entered each winning slot for each winning slot from the time when the bonus ratio is calculated for the first time after the power is turned on, or from the time when the bonus ratio is calculated last time, until the time when the bonus ratio is calculated next time, and also counts the number of balls that have been guided to the ball discharge path (i.e., the number of balls used in the game).

If the MPU 201 were not to count the number of balls that entered each winning slot or the number of balls guided to the ball discharge path (i.e., the number of balls used in a game), and instead the counting were to be done only by the bonus ratio management chip 207, the bonus ratio management chip would also have to monitor the winning balls that entered each winning slot and the balls that were guided to the ball discharge path at short intervals (e.g., every 2 milliseconds), which would increase the processing load and could result in increased power consumption.

In contrast, in this pachinko machine 10, the MPU 201 counts and sets these counting results in the bonus ratio management chip 207 at 0.5 second intervals, so that the bonus ratio management chip 207 counts the number of balls that have entered each winning slot for each winning slot every 0.5 seconds from when the power is turned on until the bonus ratio is calculated for the first time, or from when the bonus ratio was calculated last time until the bonus ratio is calculated next time, and also executes a process to count the number of balls guided to the ball discharge path (i.e., the number of balls used in the game). This makes it possible to suppress the processing load and power consumption in the bonus ratio management chip 207.

On the other hand, the MPU 201 counts the number of winning balls in each winning slot and the number of balls guided to the ball discharge path (i.e., the number of balls used in the game) at 2 millisecond intervals when the timer interrupt process is executed, and monitors the winning balls in each winning slot and the balls guided to the ball discharge path. However, these monitoring processes are necessary for the main control of the game, such as the big win lottery and the prize ball judgment, and are originally processed at short time intervals of 2 milliseconds. In addition, since the launch interval of the balls launched into the game area by the ball launch unit 112a (see FIG. 5) in the pachinko machine 10 is about 0.6 seconds, the number of winning balls in each winning slot and the number of balls guided to the ball discharge path (i.e., the number of balls used in the game), which are counted at 0.5 second intervals, is almost always 0 or 1 ball, or at most a few balls, so the amount of data required for the counters 203d to 203i provided in the RAM 203 may be small. This counting process therefore prevents the capacity of RAM 203 from increasing. Therefore, there is no significant impact even if MPU 201 executes a process to count the number of balls that enter each winning port in 0.5 seconds for each winning port, and also to count the number of balls that are guided to the ball discharge path (i.e., the number of balls used in the game).

The game status set by the processing of S155 includes, for example, a jackpot, the inner frame 12 or the front frame 14 being open, and an error. Whether the inner frame 12 or the front frame 14 is open is determined by the MPU 201 referring to the door opening port 205g and checking the output of the door opening switch 208g.

Whether or not the game state is in an error state is based on the result determined by the processing of S112 of the timer interrupt processing. In the processing of S155, if it is determined in the processing of S112 that an error state is in effect, information indicating that the game state is in an error state is set in the role ratio management chip 207.

If the game state set by the processing of S155 includes a jackpot, jackpot information is stored in the jackpot buffer 262g, if the game state includes the inner frame 12 or the front frame 14 being open, door open information is stored in the open buffer 262h, and if the game state includes an error, error information is stored in the error buffer 262i. Then, in the role ratio management chip 207, this information is finally recorded in the game state data 264d of the second reading and writing memory 264. When the inspection device 300 is connected to the inspection terminal 207a, information on the game state is transmitted to the inspection device 300 together with information on the role ratio. Therefore, when the inspection device 300 analyzes the role ratio of the pachinko machine 10 and finds an inexplicable trend in the role ratio, it can search for the cause by referring to the information indicating the game state.

After the processing of S155, an interrupt signal is sent to the bonus ratio management chip 207 (S156). Based on this interrupt signal, the bonus ratio management chip 207 executes the setting information reception process (see FIG. 19) described later, and based on the various information set in the buffer 262, counts the number of winning balls for each winning slot, counts the number of balls guided to the ball discharge path (i.e., balls shot into the play area), and stores the number of balls in the first reading memory 263. At the same time, information regarding the play status of the pachinko machine 10 is also stored in the first reading memory 263.

After the process of S156, the start 1 counter 203d, start 2 counter 203e, normal 1 counter 203f, normal 2 counter 203g, and big prize counter 203h corresponding to each winning slot, and the out counter 203i corresponding to the out switch 208f are initialized to 0 (S157), the switch reading process is terminated, and the process returns to the timer interrupt process. When these counters 203d to 203i are initialized to 0 by the process of S157, the number of balls that have won in each winning slot in the next 0.5 seconds is counted by the counters 203d to 203h for each winning slot, and the number of balls guided to the ball discharge path (i.e., the number of balls used in the game) is counted by the out counter 203i.

In the process of S154, if this process is executed for the first time after power is supplied to the main control device 110, it is assumed that 0.5 seconds have passed since the previous setting of winning information (values of each counter 203d-i and information on the game status of the pachinko machine 10) in the bonus ratio management chip 207 (S154: Yes), and the process proceeds to S155. As a result, the values of each counter 203d-203i in the RAM 203, which were detected before the power was cut off and were detected as the number of balls that had entered each winning slot or the number of balls that had been guided to the ball discharge path and were not set in the bonus ratio management chip 207 at the time of the power cut, can be set in the bonus ratio management chip 207 immediately after power is supplied, provided that they are retained during the power cut. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the bonus ratio management chip 207 from missing winning information or out information due to a power cut.

Next, referring to the flowchart in FIG. 12, the start winning process (S110), which is one process of the timer interrupt process executed by the MPU 201 in the main control unit 110, will be described. FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing this start winning process (S110). The start winning process determines whether a ball has entered either the first start port 64a or the second start port 64b (start winning), and if there is a start winning, executes a process to store (reserve) the values of each counter C1 to C3, CS1 in the reserved ball storage area 203b. It also executes a process to send the reserved values of each counter C1 to C3, CS1 together with the number of reserved balls to the audio lamp control unit 113.

When the MPU 201 executes this start winning process, it first determines whether the ball has won (start winning) in the first start hole 64a or the second start hole 64b (S201). Here, the result of the presence or absence of winning in the first start hole 64a or the second start hole 64b, determined by the process of S151 of the switch reading process (see FIG. 11) based on the output signal of the first start hole switch 208a that detects winning in the first start hole 64a and the second start hole switch 208b that detects winning in the second start hole 64b, is used.

When it is determined that a ball has entered the first start port 64a or the second start port 64b (a start entry has occurred) (S201: Yes), it is determined whether the value of the reserved ball number counter 203a (the number of reserved balls N for the variable performance reserved in the main control unit 110) is less than the upper limit (4 in this embodiment) (S202). Then, if there is no entry into either the first start port 64a or the second start port 64b (S201: No), or if there is a entry into the first start port 64a or the second start port 64b but the number of reserved balls N is not less than 4 (S202: No), the process returns to the timer interrupt process.

On the other hand, if there is a winning entry into the first start hole 64a or the second start hole 64b (S201: Yes) and the number of reserved balls N is less than 4 (S202: Yes), the value of the reserved ball number counter 203a (reserved ball number N) is incremented by 1 (S203). Then, the values of the first winning random number counter C1, the first winning type counter C2, the stop pattern selection counter C3, and the variable type counter CS1 are read from the counter buffer (see FIG. 7), and are reserved (stored) in the first winning random number counter storage area 203b1, the first winning type counter storage area 203b2, the stop pattern selection counter 203b3, and the variable type counter storage area 203b4, which correspond to the value indicated by the reserved ball number counter 203a, among the first to fourth reserved areas provided in the reserved ball storage area 203b of the RAM 203 (S204).

Specifically, if the value of reserved ball counter 203a after the addition in the process of S203 is "1", the values of counters C1 to C3 and CS1 are reserved in each storage area of reserved area 1. Also, if the value of reserved ball counter 203a after the addition is "2", the values of counters C1 to C3 and CS1 are reserved in each storage area of reserved area 2, if the value of reserved ball counter 203a after the addition is "3", the values of counters C1 to C3 and CS1 are reserved in each storage area of reserved area 3, and if the value of reserved ball counter 203a after the addition is "4", the values of counters C1 to C3 and CS1 are reserved in each storage area of reserved area 4.

Next, in order to send a reserved ball number command including the value of the reserved ball number counter 203a after the addition in the process of S203 (reserved ball number N) and the values of the first winning random number counter C1, the first winning type counter C2, the stop pattern selection counter C3, and the variable type counter CS1 stored (reserved) in the reserved ball storage area 203b in the process of S204 to the voice lamp control device 113, the reserved ball number command is set in a command sending ring buffer provided in the RAM 203 (S205). As a result, the reserved ball number command is sent to the voice lamp control device 113 by the external output process of S101 of the timer interrupt process that is executed next.

By receiving the reserved ball count command, the sound lamp control device 113 instructs the display control device 114 to display the reserved ball count pattern corresponding to the reserved ball count N in the reserved ball count display area Db (see FIG. 4). The sound lamp control device 113 also uses the values of the counters C1-C3 and CS1 included in the reserved ball count command to read ahead before a variable performance based on each value is executed, and determines what the variable performance will be (whether it will be a jackpot or not, what the variable time will be, etc.) before the variable performance is executed. Then, based on the results of this read-ahead determination, it is possible to decide whether to execute various types of performance.

The values of counters C1 to C3 and CS1 included in the reserved ball count command in the processing of S205 may be the values read from the counter buffer in the processing of S204, or the values stored (reserved) in the reserved ball storage area 203b in the processing of S204 may be read.

When processing of S205 is completed, the process returns to timer interrupt processing.

Next, referring to FIG. 13, we will explain the variable processing (S109), which is one process of the timer interrupt processing executed by the MPU 201 in the main control unit 110. FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing this variable processing (S109). The variable processing (S109) controls the variable display in the first pattern display device 37 and the variable presentation performed in the third pattern display device 81.

In this variation process, first, it is determined whether or not a jackpot is currently being won (S301). The jackpot period includes the period during the jackpot game displayed on the third symbol display device 81 and the first symbol display device 37 at the time of the jackpot, and the period during a predetermined time after the jackpot game ends. If the determination results in a jackpot (S301: Yes), this process ends.

If the jackpot is not being won (S301: No), it is determined whether the display mode of the first pattern display device 37 is changing (S302), and if the display mode of the first pattern display device 37 is not changing (S302: No), it is then determined whether a predetermined time has passed since the changing display on the first pattern display device 37 stopped (S303). As a result, if the predetermined time has not passed since the changing stopped (S303: No), this process is terminated. As a result, the stopped patterns in the changing performance are displayed on the first pattern display device 37 and the third pattern display device 81 for only the predetermined time, so that the stopped patterns can be visually recognized by the player.

On the other hand, as a result of the processing of S303, if a predetermined time has elapsed since the fluctuation was stopped (S303: Yes), it is determined whether the value of the reserved ball number counter 203a (the number of reserved balls N of the fluctuation display held in the main control unit 110) is greater than 0 (S304). As a result, if the value of the reserved ball number counter 203a (the number of reserved balls N) is not 0 (S304: Yes), it is determined that it is time to start executing the fluctuation performance, and first the value of the reserved ball number counter 203a (the number of reserved balls N) is decremented by 1 (S305). This is because the fluctuation start processing (S307) starts the execution of one of the reserved fluctuation performances, thereby decreasing the number of reserved balls by one.

Then, the data stored in the reserved ball storage area 203b is shifted (S306). This data shift process shifts the data stored in the reserved areas 1 to 4 of the reserved ball storage area 203b sequentially toward the reserved ball execution area 203c, and the data in each area is shifted in the following order: reserved area 1 → reserved ball execution area 203c, reserved area 2 → reserved area 1, reserved area 3 → reserved area 2, reserved area 4 → reserved area 3, and so on.

After the data shift process of S306, a change start process is executed for the first symbol display device 37 and the third symbol display device 81 based on the values of the various counters stored in the reserved ball execution area 203c by the data shift process (S307), and the process returns to the timer interrupt process. The change start process will be described later with reference to FIG. 14.

In the process of S304, if it is determined that the value of the reserved ball counter 203a (reserved ball count N) is 0 (S304: No), it is determined whether or not a demo performance is being performed in the third pattern display device 81, i.e., whether or not a demo is in progress (S308). In this determination process, after a demo command is sent to the display control device 114 via the sound lamp control device 113, it is determined that a demo is in progress until it is determined that the value of the reserved ball counter 203a (reserved ball count N) is greater than 0.

If it is determined that the demo is not in progress (S308: No), a demo command to be sent to the voice lamp control device 113 is set (S309), and the process returns to the timer interrupt process. On the other hand, if it is determined that the demo is in progress (S309: Yes), the process returns to the timer interrupt process. The demo command set in the process of S309 is stored in a ring buffer for sending commands provided in the RAM 203, and is sent to the voice lamp control device 113 during the external output process (S101 in FIG. 14) of the timer interrupt process that is executed next. When the voice lamp control device 113 receives the demo command, it instructs the display control device 114 to display a demo performance on the third pattern display device 81.

As described above, the demo command is set when there are no reserved balls when a predetermined time has elapsed after the fluctuation has stopped. Therefore, if the fluctuation display does not start even after a predetermined time has elapsed after the fluctuation has stopped, a demo performance is displayed on the third pattern display device 81.

If it is determined in the process of S308 that the demo is not in progress (S308: No), a process may be further executed to determine whether or not a second predetermined time longer than the above-mentioned predetermined time has elapsed after the fluctuation has stopped, and if the second predetermined time has elapsed after the fluctuation has stopped, the process of S309 may be executed to set a demo command. In this way, if there are no reserved balls after the fluctuation has stopped, the stopped symbols of the stopped fluctuation performance can be shown to the player for a relatively long time without immediately starting the demo performance.

In the process of S302, if it is determined that the display mode of the first pattern display device 37 is changing (S302: Yes), it is determined whether or not the change time has elapsed (S310). The display time during which the first pattern display device 37 is changing is determined according to the change pattern selected by the change type counter CS1 (determined according to the change pattern command), and if this change time has not elapsed (S310: No), the display of the first pattern display device 37 is updated (S311) and the process returns to the timer interrupt process.

In this embodiment, from the start of the change until the change time has elapsed, the display mode is set so that, for example, if the currently lit LED of the LED 37a of the first pattern display device 37 is red, the red LED is turned off and the green LED is turned on; if the green LED is lit, the green LED is turned off and the blue LED is turned on; if the blue LED is lit, the blue LED is turned off and the red LED is turned on.

The variation process is executed every 2 milliseconds, but if the LED color were to be changed each time the variation process was executed, the player would not be able to see the change in the LED color. Therefore, to allow the player to see the change in the LED color, a counter (not shown) is counted by 1 each time the variation process is executed, and when the counter reaches 200, the LED color is changed. In other words, the LED color is changed every 0.4 seconds. The counter value is reset to 0 when the LED color is changed.

On the other hand, if the variation time of the first symbol display device 37 has elapsed (S310: Yes), the display mode corresponding to the stop symbol is set for the first symbol display device 37 (S312). The stop symbol is set in advance by the variation start process (S307) described later with reference to FIG. 14. In the variation start process, whether or not there is a jackpot is determined according to the value of the first win random number counter C1 stored in the reserved ball execution area 203c by the process of S306, and if there is a jackpot, the value of the first win type counter C2 determines whether there is a 15R probability jackpot (a probability jackpot in which the maximum number of rounds transitions to a high probability state after a jackpot with 15 rounds), a 2R probability jackpot (a probability jackpot in which the maximum number of rounds transitions to a high probability state after a jackpot with 2 rounds), or a 15R normal jackpot (a jackpot in which the maximum number of rounds transitions to a low probability state after a jackpot with 15 rounds).

In this embodiment, if a jackpot is followed by a 15R guaranteed jackpot, a blue LED is turned on, if a 2R guaranteed jackpot is turned on, a red LED is turned on, and if a 15R normal jackpot is turned on, both the red and blue LEDs are turned on. Also, if there is a miss, both the red and green LEDs are turned on. Note that the LEDs are turned off when the next variation display starts, but they may be turned on for only a few seconds after the variation stops.

When the display mode of the first pattern display device 37 corresponding to the stopping pattern is set in the processing of S312, a confirmation command is set (S313) to confirm and display the stopping pattern of the variable performance in the third pattern display device 81 in synchronization with the lighting of the LED in the first pattern display device 37, and the process returns to the timer interrupt processing. When the voice lamp control device 113 receives this confirmation command, it instructs the display control device 114 to stop the variable display of the third pattern in the third pattern display device 81 and to confirm and display the stopping pattern.

Next, referring to FIG. 14, the change start process (S307), which is one of the change processes executed by the MPU 201 in the main control device 110, will be described. FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing the change start process (S307). This change start process (S307) draws a lottery for a "jackpot" or a "miss" (jackpot lottery) based on the values of various counters stored in the execution area of the reserved ball storage area, and determines the presentation pattern (change pattern) of the change presentation performed by the first pattern display device 37 and the third pattern display device 81.

In the fluctuation start process, first, a jackpot lottery (win/lose determination) process is performed to determine whether or not there is a jackpot based on the value of the first win random number counter C1 stored in the reserved ball execution area 203c and the jackpot random number table 202a (see Figure 8 (a)) (S401).

Whether or not there is a jackpot is determined based on the value of the first jackpot random number counter C1 and its relationship to the mode at that time. As described above, in the jackpot random number table 202a, when the possible game states (modes) of the pachinko machine 10 are in a normal low probability state, "7, 307, 582" are specified as the jackpot random number values. Also, when the possible game states (modes) of the pachinko machine 10 are in a high probability state, "28, 58, 85, 122, 144, 178, 213, 238, 276, 298, 322, 354, 390, 420, 448, 486, 506, 534, 567, 596, 618, 656, 681, 716, 750, 772, 809, 836, 866, 892" are specified as the jackpot random number values.

In the process of S401, the value of the first win random number counter C1 stored in the execution area of the reserved ball storage area is compared with the jackpot random number value defined in the jackpot random number table 202a, and if they match, it is determined that there is a jackpot. If it is determined that there is a jackpot as a result of the process of S401 (S401: Yes), the display mode at the time of the jackpot is set based on the value of the first win type counter C2 stored in the reserved ball execution area 203c and the jackpot type table 202b (see FIG. 8(b)) (S402).

In this process, the jackpot type table 202b determines the jackpot type associated with the value of the first jackpot type counter C2 stored in the reserved ball execution area 203c, i.e., whether it is a 15R guaranteed jackpot in which the maximum number of rounds transitions to a high probability state after a jackpot of 15 rounds, a 15R normal jackpot in which the maximum number of rounds transitions to a low probability state after a jackpot of 15 rounds, or a 2R guaranteed jackpot in which the maximum number of rounds transitions to a high probability state after a jackpot of 2 rounds. Then, based on the determined jackpot type, the display mode (illumination state of LED 37a) at the time of a jackpot on the first symbol display device 37 is set.

In addition, in order to stop displaying various jackpot patterns corresponding to the jackpot type on the third pattern display device 81, the display mode at the time of a jackpot on the third pattern display device 81 is set by setting the jackpot type (15R special jackpot, 2R special jackpot, 15R normal jackpot) as the stop type.

Next, the variation pattern at the time of the jackpot is determined (S403), and the process proceeds to S406. Specifically, the variation time until the first symbol display device 37 and the third symbol display device 81 are stopped and displayed in the display mode at the time of the jackpot is determined. In determining the variation pattern at the time of the jackpot, first, the jackpot variation pattern table 202d1 (see FIG. 8(c)) to be used is selected according to the number of reserved balls at that time indicated by the reserved ball number counter 203a. Then, if a 15R sure-variable jackpot or a 15R normal jackpot is set as the jackpot type in the process of S402, the variation pattern associated with the value of the variation type counter CS1 stored in the reserved ball execution area 203c is selected in the "15R jackpot common" group of the selected jackpot variation pattern table 202d1. That is, in this case, one of the variation A, variation B, and variation C is selected.

In addition, if the jackpot type is set to 2R sure-variable jackpot in the processing of S402, the variation pattern associated with the value of the variation type counter CS1 stored in the reserved ball execution area 203c is selected in the "2R sure-variable jackpot only" group in the selected jackpot variation pattern table 202d1. In this embodiment, in this case, only 2R variation is selected. Note that the relationship between the variation pattern (Variation A, Variation B, Variation C, 2R variation) and the variation time is specified in advance by a table or the like.

On the other hand, if the process of S401 determines that the jackpot is not a jackpot (S401: No), the display mode for when the ball is lost is set (S404). In the process of S404, the display mode of the first symbol display device 37 is set to a display mode corresponding to the losing symbol, and the stop type to be displayed on the third symbol display device 81 is set to one of the following: front/rear miss reach, front/rear non-miss reach, or complete miss, based on the value of the stop pattern selection counter C3 stored in the reserved ball execution area 203c. In this embodiment, as described above, the table is set so that the range of the value of the stop pattern selection counter C3 corresponding to each stop type differs depending on whether the game state of the pachinko machine 10 is a high probability state or a low probability state.

Next, the variation pattern for the loss is determined (S405), and the process proceeds to S406. Specifically, the variation time until the loss symbol is displayed is determined in the first symbol display device 37 and the third symbol display device 81. At this time, if the game state of the pachinko machine 10 is in a normal low probability state other than the time-saving state, the loss (normal) variation pattern table 202d2 (see FIG. 8(d)) corresponding to the number of reserved balls at that time indicated by the reserved ball counter 203a is selected. Also, if the game state of the pachinko machine 10 is in a time-saving state or a high probability state during a certain probability period, the loss (probability variable) variation pattern table 202d3 (see FIG. 8(e)) corresponding to the number of reserved balls at that time indicated by the reserved ball counter 203a is selected.

If a complete miss is set as the stop type in the processing of S404, a variation pattern corresponding to the value of the variation type counter CS1 stored in the reserved ball execution area 203c is selected in the "complete miss only" group of the selected variation pattern table for misses (normal) 202d2 or variation pattern table for misses (high probability) 202d3. That is, in this case, variation D or variation E is selected.

In addition, if the stop type is set to front/rear miss reach or front/rear non-miss reach in the processing of S402, a fluctuation pattern corresponding to the value of the fluctuation type counter CS1 stored in the reserved ball execution area 203c is selected in the "reach common" group of the selected fluctuation pattern table for miss (normal) 202d2 or fluctuation pattern table for miss (probable hit) 202d3. That is, in this case, fluctuation A, fluctuation B, or fluctuation C is selected. Then, the fluctuation time is set based on the relationship between the fluctuation pattern and the fluctuation time, which is previously specified by a table or the like.

In the process of S406, a variation pattern command is set to notify the display control device 114 of the variation pattern via the voice lamp control device 113 based on the variation pattern determined by the processes of S403 and S405 (S406). In addition, a stop type command is set to notify the display control device 114 of the stop type set in the process of S402 or S404 via the voice lamp control device 113 (S415), and the process returns to the variation process. These variation pattern commands and stop type commands are stored in a ring buffer for command transmission provided in the RAM 203, and these commands are transmitted to the voice lamp control device 113 in the process of S101 of the timer interrupt process (FIG. 14) that is executed next. When the voice lamp control device 113 receives the variation pattern command or stop type command, it generates a display variation pattern command or display type command based on the command and transmits it to the display control device 114.

Figure 15 is a flowchart showing the NMI interrupt process executed by the MPU 201 in the main control unit 110. The NMI interrupt process is executed by the MPU 201 in the main control unit 110 when the power to the pachinko machine 10 is cut off due to a power outage or the like. This NMI interrupt process stores information about the power outage in the RAM 203. That is, when the power to the pachinko machine 10 is cut off due to a power outage or the like, a power outage signal SG1 is output from the power outage monitoring circuit 252 to the NMI terminal of the MPU 201 in the main control unit 110. The MPU 201 then interrupts the control being executed and starts the NMI interrupt process, stores the power outage information in the RAM 203 as the setting of the power outage information (S501), and ends the NMI interrupt process.

The above-mentioned NMI interrupt processing is also executed in the payout/firing control device 111, and this NMI interrupt processing causes information about the occurrence of a power outage to be stored in the RAM 213. In other words, when the power supply to the pachinko machine 10 is cut off due to a power outage or the like, a power outage signal SG1 is output from the power outage monitoring circuit 252 to the NMI terminal of the MPU 211 in the payout control device 111, and the MPU 211 interrupts the control currently being executed and starts the NMI interrupt processing.

Next, referring to FIG. 16, the start-up process executed by the MPU 201 in the main control unit 110 when the main control unit 110 is powered on will be described. FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing this start-up process. This start-up process is initiated by a reset when the power is turned on. In the start-up process, first, an initial setting process associated with power-on is executed (S601). For example, a predetermined value is set in the stack pointer. Next, a wait process (1 second in this embodiment) is executed to wait for the sub-side control units (peripheral control units such as the voice lamp control unit 113 and the dispensing control unit 111) to become operable (S602). Then, access to the RAM 203 is permitted (S603).

Then, it is determined whether the RAM clear switch 122 (see FIG. 3) provided on the power supply device 115 is turned on (S604), and if it is turned on (S604: Yes), the process proceeds to S614. On the other hand, if the RAM clear switch 122 is not turned on (S604: No), it is further determined whether or not information on the occurrence of a power outage is stored in the RAM 203 (S605), and if it is not stored (S605: No), there is a possibility that the process at the time of the previous power outage did not end normally, so in this case too, the process proceeds to S614.

If information about the occurrence of a power outage is stored in RAM 203 (S605: Yes), a RAM judgment value is calculated (S606). If the calculated RAM judgment value is not normal (S607: No), that is, if the calculated RAM judgment value does not match the RAM judgment value saved at the time of the power outage, the backed up data has been destroyed, and in such a case, the process also proceeds to S614.

As will be described later in the process of S706 in FIG. 17, the RAM judgment value is, for example, a checksum value in a working area address of RAM 203. Instead of this RAM judgment value, the validity of the backup may be determined based on whether or not a keyword written in a specified area of RAM 203 is correctly saved.

In the process of S614, a payout initialization command is sent to initialize the payout control device 111, which is the sub-side control device (peripheral control device) (S614). When the payout control device 111 receives this payout initialization command, it clears the areas (working areas) other than the stack area of the RAM 213, sets initial values, and becomes ready to start controlling the payout of game balls. After sending the payout initialization command, the main control device 110 executes the initialization process of the RAM 203 (S615, S616).

As described above, in this pachinko machine 10, when the RAM data is to be initialized when the power is turned on, for example, when the hall opens for business, the power is turned on while pressing the RAM erase switch 122. Therefore, if the RAM erase switch 122 is pressed when the start-up process is executed, the RAM initialization process (S615, S616) is executed. Similarly, if the power outage occurrence information is not set, or if a backup abnormality is confirmed by the RAM judgment value (checksum value, etc.), the RAM 203 initialization process (S615, S616) is executed. In the RAM initialization process (S615, S616), the used area of the RAM 203 is cleared to 0 (S615), and then the initial value is set in the RAM 203 (S616). After the RAM 203 initialization process is executed, the process proceeds to S610.

On the other hand, if the RAM clear switch 122 is not turned on (S604: No), power outage information is stored (S605: Yes), and the RAM judgment value (checksum value, etc.) is normal (S607: Yes), the power outage information is cleared (S608) while retaining the data backed up in the RAM 203. Then, a payout return command upon power recovery is sent to return the sub-side control device (peripheral control device) to the game state when the drive power was cut off (S609), and the process proceeds to S610. When the payout control device 111 receives this payout return command, it becomes capable of starting payout control of game balls while retaining the data stored in the RAM 213.

In the process of S610, an initialization signal is sent to the reel ratio management chip 207 (S610). As a result, upon receiving the initialization signal, the reel ratio management chip 207 executes an initial setting process such as initializing the buffer 262 and the first read/write memory 263 to all 0 (S711 in FIG. 18), and initializes the reel ratio management chip 207a so that it can manage the reel ratios.

Next, the information in the prize ball count table 202e is sent to the bonus feature ratio management chip 207 (S611). As a result, in the bonus feature ratio management chip 207, the prize ball count table 202e is set in the prize ball count data setting area 265a, and the bonus feature ratio and consecutive bonus feature ratio of the pachinko machine 10 are calculated based on the number of prize balls that would be awarded to each winning slot indicated by the prize ball count table 202e if a prize were awarded to each winning slot.

Here, the number of prize balls awarded when each winning slot wins is determined by the model of the pachinko machine, and conventionally, this information is stored in ROM 202. Each time power is supplied, information on the number of prize balls is sent to the bonus ball ratio management chip 207 from the prize ball number table 202e stored in ROM 202, and set in the bonus ball number data setting area 265a of the bonus ratio management chip 207. This eliminates the need to store information on the number of prize balls that differs for each model in the ROM of the bonus ratio management chip 207 during the manufacturing stage. This simplifies the manufacture of the bonus ratio management chip 207. Also, when the model of the pachinko machine is different, it is only necessary to change the ROM 202, and the bonus ratio can be accurately calculated even if the same bonus ratio management chip 207 is used between different models of pachinko machines.

Then, the information of the trigger information data 202f is transmitted to the reel ratio management chip 207 (S612). As a result, in the reel ratio management chip 207, the trigger information data 202f is set in the trigger setting area 265b, and when the timing (trigger) for calculating the reel ratio indicated by the trigger information data 202f arrives, the reel ratio and continuous reel ratio of the pachinko machine 10 are calculated.

Here, since there is a physical limit to the memory capacity of the feature ratio management chip 207 that can record information related to the feature ratio, it is preferable that the timing (trigger) of calculating the feature ratio is determined by taking into consideration the probability of a big win and the probability of a special bonus in the pachinko machine 10, rather than being fixed by the feature ratio management chip 207. As in the present pachinko machine 10, trigger information data 202f that specifies the timing of calculating the feature ratio determined by taking into consideration the probability of a big win and the probability of a special bonus in the pachinko machine 10 is stored in the ROM 202, and the trigger information data 202f is transmitted to the feature ratio management chip 207 from the ROM 202 each time power is supplied, so that the feature ratio management chip 207 can calculate the feature ratio and the consecutive feature ratio at a timing that matches the probability of a big win and the probability of a special bonus in the pachinko machine 10, and record the calculated ratio in the second reading and writing memory 264.

After processing in S612, interrupts are permitted (S613). Then, the process proceeds to the main processing described below.

Next, referring to FIG. 16, the main processing executed by the MPU 201 in the main control device 110 after the above-mentioned startup processing will be described. FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing this main processing. This main processing is broadly divided into counter update processing and power-off processing.

In the main process, it is determined whether or not information on the occurrence of a power outage is stored in RAM 203 (S701). If information on the occurrence of a power outage is not stored in RAM 203 (S701: No), the power outage signal SG1 is not output from the power outage monitoring circuit 252 and the power supply is not interrupted. In such a case, the first initial value random number counter CINI1, the second initial value random number counter CINI2, and the fluctuation type counter CS1 are repeatedly updated (S702, S703).

First, the first initial value random number counter CINI1 and the second initial value random number counter CINI2 are updated (S702). Specifically, the first initial value random number counter CINI1 and the second initial value random number counter CINI2 are incremented by 1, and when the counter value reaches the maximum value (899, 250 in this embodiment), the counter is cleared to 0. The updated values of the first initial value random number counter CINI1 and the second initial value random number counter CINI2 are then stored in the corresponding counter buffer areas of RAM 203. Next, the fluctuation type counter CS1 is updated in the same manner as in the processing of S108 (see FIG. 10) (S703), and the processing proceeds to S701.

While this main process is being executed, the timer interrupt process described with reference to FIG. 10 is started and executed at a predetermined time interval (2 milliseconds in this embodiment). In the timer interrupt process, different processes are executed depending on the state of the game. For example, during a jackpot, the opening and closing of the jackpot opening 65a is controlled, and if a ball passes through the through gate 67, the display of the second pattern by the second pattern display device 83 is controlled. In addition, in the jackpot lottery executed when starting the variable display on the first pattern display device 37, the number of jackpot random numbers to be compared with the acquired first jackpot random number counter C1 differs depending on whether the state is high probability or low probability. Therefore, the time required to execute one timer interrupt process changes depending on the state of the game. Therefore, the remaining time from the end of one timer interrupt process to the execution timing of the next timer interrupt process is not constant, but changes depending on the state of the game at each time.

The above-mentioned processes of S702 and S703, which are part of the main process, are executed within the remaining time of this timer interrupt process. In other words, the update of the first initial value random number counter CINI1 and the second initial value random number counter CINI2 is repeatedly executed using this remaining time, so that the first initial value random number counter CINI1 and the second initial value random number counter CINI2 (i.e., the initial value of the first hit random number counter C1 and the initial value of the second hit random number counter C4) can be randomly updated, and similarly, the fluctuation type counter CS1 can also be randomly updated. In particular, by randomly updating the first initial value random number counter CINI1 and the second initial value random number counter CINI2, it is possible to provide randomness to the update of the first hit random number counter C1 and the second hit random number counter C2, which use these as the initial values for update.

In the process of S701, if the power cut occurrence information is stored in the RAM 203 (S701: Yes), the power is cut off due to a power outage or power off, and the power outage monitoring circuit 252 outputs the power outage signal SG1, which means that the NMI interrupt process of FIG. 15 is executed, so the process at the time of power cut from S704 onwards is executed. First, the occurrence of each interrupt process is prohibited (S704), a power cut command indicating that the power has been cut off is sent to other control devices (peripheral control devices such as the payout control device 111 and the voice lamp control device 113), and power cut information is sent to the role ratio management chip 207 (S705). Then, a RAM judgment value is calculated and the value is saved (S706), access to the RAM 203 is prohibited (S707), and an infinite loop is continued until the power is completely cut off and the process cannot be executed. Here, the RAM judgment value is, for example, a checksum value in the stack area and working area backed up in the RAM 203.

The processing of S701 is executed at the end of one cycle of the processing of S702 and S703, which are performed within the remaining time of the timer interrupt processing. As a result, in the main processing of the main control unit 110, various settings by the timer interrupt processing are completed, and the power outage occurrence information is confirmed at the timing when the updating of each of the counters CINI1, CINI2, and CS1 is completed. Therefore, when recovering from a power-off state, the processing can be started from the processing of S701 after the start-up processing is completed. In other words, the processing can be started from the processing of S701, just as when initialization is performed during the start-up processing.

Therefore, in processing when the power is cut off, the contents of each register used by the MPU 201 do not need to be saved to the stack area or the value of the stack pointer saved; instead, the stack pointer is set to a predetermined value (initial value) in the initial setting process (S601), and processing can start from S701. As a result, the control burden on the main control unit 110 can be reduced, and accurate control can be performed without the main control unit 110 malfunctioning or going out of control.

In this embodiment, the case has been described where the processes to be executed periodically are executed by timer interrupt processing, and the counters CINI1, CINI2, and CS1 are updated in the main processing during the remaining time of the timer interrupt processing, but some or all of the processes executed by the timer interrupt processing may be configured to be executed every predetermined time (e.g., every 2 milliseconds) in the main processing. For example, some or all of the prize ball count signal, payout abnormality signal reading process (S102), large opening opening/closing process (S103), second pattern control process (S105), and switch reading process (S106) executed by the timer interrupt processing in this embodiment may be configured to be executed every 2 milliseconds in the main processing, rather than by timer interrupt processing.

In this case, a step may be provided in the main processing to determine whether a predetermined time (2 milliseconds) has elapsed, and the processing to be performed at the predetermined time is executed only if it is determined that the predetermined time has elapsed, and the updating of each counter CINI1, CINI2, CS1 is executed regardless of whether the predetermined time has elapsed. As a result, the updating of each counter CINI1, CINI2, CS1 is executed in the remaining time of the processing to be executed at the predetermined time, but since the time required to execute the processing to be executed at the predetermined time changes depending on the state of the game, even with this configuration, each counter CINI1, CINI2, CS1 can be updated randomly.

Next, the control processes executed by the CPU 261 in the bonus ratio management chip 207 will be described with reference to Figures 18 to 22. The processes of the CPU 261 can be broadly divided into a bonus ratio management main process that is started when the power is turned on, a setting information reception process that is executed based on an interrupt signal received from the MPU 201 after winning information and the like is set by the MPU 201, and an inspection result output process that is executed based on the connection of the inspection device 300 to the inspection terminal 207a.

First, referring to FIG. 18, the main process of the reel ratio management executed by the CPU 261 in the reel ratio management chip 207 will be described. FIG. 18 is a flow chart showing this main process of the reel ratio management. This main process of the reel ratio management is started when power is supplied to the reel ratio management chip 207.

When the reel ratio management main process is executed, it is first determined whether an initialization signal has been received from the MPU 201 (S710). As long as it is determined that an initialization signal has not been received (S710: No), the determination of S710 is continued. Then, if it is determined that an initialization signal has been received (S710: Yes), the process proceeds to S711, where initial settings are performed (S711). As a result, the reel ratio management chip 207 waits until at least the initialization of the RAM 203 in the MPU 201 is complete and the MPU 201 is ready to start controlling the game, before executing the initial settings of the reel ratio management chip 207.

In the initial setting of S711, when the operation of the feature ratio management chip 207 is started, the necessary initialization is performed for each device in the feature ratio management chip 207. For example, the buffer 262 and the first read/write memory 263 are all initialized to 0. As a result, even if there is a buffer in the buffer 262 that is not set by the MPU 201 for each of the buffers 262a to 262i, meaningless data can be suppressed from remaining in the buffer, and the meaningless data can be prevented from being stored in the first read/write memory 263. In addition, the first read/write memory 263 can cumulatively count the number of balls that have entered each winning hole and the number of balls that have been guided to the ball discharge path (i.e., the number of balls that have been shot into the play area) from the time when power is supplied to the feature ratio management chip 207 until the time when the feature ratio is calculated, and can also store information regarding the game state during that time.

Next, it is determined whether or not information on the prize ball count table 202e has been received from the MPU 201 (S712). If not (S712: No), the process of S712 is continued. On the other hand, if it is determined that the information has been received (S712: Yes), the received prize ball count table 202e is set in the prize ball count data setting area 265a (S713). As a result, the prize ball count table 202e is set in the prize ball count data setting area 265a in the prize ball ratio management chip 207, and the prize ball ratio and consecutive prize ball ratio of the pachinko machine 10 are calculated based on the number of prize balls when each winning slot indicated by the prize ball count table 202e is won.

Next, it is determined whether or not the trigger setting data 202f information has been received from the MPU 201 (S714). If not (S714: No), the process of S714 is continued. On the other hand, if it is determined that the trigger setting data 202f has been received (S714: Yes), the received trigger setting data 202f is set in the trigger setting area 265b. As a result, when the timing (trigger) for calculating the role ratio indicated by the trigger information data 202f set in the trigger setting area 265b arrives in the role ratio management chip 207, the role ratio and continuous role ratio of the pachinko machine 10 are calculated.

In this way, only the prize ball number table 202e and trigger information data 202f transmitted during the start-up process (so-called boot process) executed by the MPU 201 when the main control device 110 is powered on are configured to be set in the prize ball number data setting area 265a and trigger setting area 265b. This prevents fraudsters from setting false prize ball number tables and trigger information data in the prize ball number data setting area 265a and trigger setting area 265b.

Next, when the processes of S710 to S715 are completed, interrupt permission is set (S716). As a result, when an interrupt signal transmitted after the winning information, etc. is set by the MPU 201 is received thereafter, the setting information receiving process is executed, and the inspection result output process is executed by the interrupt signal generated based on the connection of the inspection device 300 to the inspection terminal 207a.

If an interrupt signal is input at the same time, the setting information reception process is executed with priority over the inspection result output process. This allows the latest winning information, out information, and information on the game status input from the MPU 201 to be accumulated and stored in the role ratio management chip 207, and then information on the role ratio, etc. can be sent to the inspection device 300, so that the inspection device 300 can perform analysis including the latest information. On the other hand, if an interrupt signal is input at the same time, the inspection result output process may be executed with priority over the inspection device output process. In this case, when the inspection device 300 is connected to the inspection terminal 207a, information on the role ratio, etc. can be sent to the inspection device 300.

Next, it is determined whether or not power-off information has been received from the MPU 201 (S717), and S717 is continued unless power-off information is received (S717: No). During that time, if the CPU 261 receives an interrupt signal from the MPU 201, it executes a setting information reception process in priority to the process of S717, and if it receives an interrupt signal generated based on the connection of the inspection device 300 to the inspection terminal 207a, it executes an inspection result output process.

If power-off information is received as a result of the processing of S717 (S717: Yes), the power to the main control device 110 (reel ratio management chip 207) is cut off due to a power outage or the like. In this case, the reel ratio calculation process is executed (S718), and an infinite loop is continued until the power is completely cut off and the process can no longer be executed. Details of the reel ratio calculation process will be described later with reference to FIG. 21.

Next, the setting information reception process executed by the CPU 261 in the bonus ratio management chip 207 will be described with reference to Figures 19 and 20. Figure 19 is a flow chart showing this setting information reception process. This setting information reception process is executed based on an interrupt signal received from the MPU 201 after winning information and the like are set by the MPU 201.

The setting information reception process is a process for storing the winning information (values of the Start 1 Counter 203d, Start 2 Counter 203e, Normal 1 Counter 203f, Normal 2 Counter 203g, and Big Win Counter 203h) set in each buffer 262a to 262e by the MPU 201, the out information (value of the Out Counter 203i) set in the out buffer 262f, and the game status set in each buffer 262g to 262i in the first read/write memory 263. In addition, when it is time to calculate the ratio of the roles, the role ratio and the consecutive role ratio are calculated based on the counters 263a to 263e stored in the first read/write memory 263, and the ratio is recorded in the second storage memory 264 together with the number of balls fired and data on the game status.

First, refer to FIG. 19. In the setting information reception process, it is first determined whether or not there is door open information in the open buffer 262h (S720). If there is door open information in the open buffer 262h (S720: Yes), the door open information is set (added and stored) in the open data 263h together with the current time indicated by the RTC 266 (S721).

If it is determined by the process of S720 that there is no door open information in the open buffer 262h (S720: No), and after the process of S721, it is then determined whether there is error information in the error buffer 262i (S722). If there is error information in the error buffer 262i (S722: Yes), the error information is set (added and stored) in the error data 263i together with the current time indicated by the RTC 266 (S723).

If it is determined by the process of S722 that there is no error information in the error buffer 262i (S722: No), and after the process of S723, it is then determined whether the current time indicated by the RTC 266 is in the late night hours (between midnight and 6:00 a.m.) (S724). Since the late night hours are usually outside business hours, the fact that an interrupt signal was sent from the MPU 201 during this late night hours and this setting information receiving process was executed may suggest that some kind of fraudulent activity was performed during the late night hours. Therefore, if it is determined by the process of S724 that it is in the late night hours (S724: Yes), in order to leave a record of this fact, the after-hours information is set (added and stored) in the after-hours data 264j together with the current time indicated by the RTC 266 (S725).

If it is determined by the process of S724 that it is not a late night time period (S724: No), and after the process of S725, it is then determined whether or not there is jackpot information in the jackpot buffer 262g (S726). If there is jackpot information in the jackpot buffer 262g (S726: Yes), the jackpot information is set (added and stored) in the jackpot data 263g together with the current time indicated by the RTC 266 (S727).

If it is determined by the processing of S726 that there is no jackpot information in the jackpot buffer 262g (S726: No), and after the processing of S727, the values set in the buffers 262a to 262f corresponding to each winning slot and out switch 208f are added to the corresponding counters 263a to 263f of the first reading and writing memory 263 (S728).

Specifically, the value set in the Start 1 buffer 262a corresponding to the first start port 64a (i.e., the number of balls that entered the first start port 64a in 0.5 seconds) is added to the Start 1 counter 263a. As a result, the number of balls that entered the first start port 64a is accumulated in the Start 1 counter 263a. The value set in the Start 2 buffer 262b corresponding to the second start port 64b (i.e., the number of balls that entered the second start port 64b in 0.5 seconds) is added to the Start 2 counter 263b. As a result, the number of balls that entered the second start port 64b is accumulated in the Start 2 counter 263b.

The value set in the normal 1 buffer 262a corresponding to the first normal winning port 63a (i.e., the number of balls that won the first normal winning port 63a in 0.5 seconds) is added to the normal 1 counter 263a. As a result, the number of balls that won the first normal winning port 63a is accumulated in the normal 1 counter 263a. The value set in the normal 2 buffer 262b corresponding to the second normal winning port 63b (i.e., the number of balls that won the second normal winning port 63b in 0.5 seconds) is added to the normal 2 counter 263b. As a result, the number of balls that won the second normal winning port 63b is accumulated in the normal 2 counter 263b. The value set in the large winning port buffer 262e corresponding to the large winning port 65a (i.e., the number of balls that won the large winning port 65a in 0.5 seconds) is added to the large winning port counter 263e. This causes the number of balls that have entered the special prize opening 65a to be accumulated in the special prize opening counter 263e.

The counters 263a-264f and data 263g-264j of the first reading/writing memory 263 are initialized to 0 in the initial setting process (see FIG. 18) that is executed when power is supplied to the reel ratio management chip 207, and in S744 (see FIG. 21) that is executed when it is time to calculate the reel ratio, which will be described later. As a result, the first reading/writing memory 263 will again temporarily store, while accumulating, the information set in the buffer 262 by the MPU 201 until it is time to calculate the reel ratio again.

Next, the explanation of the setting information winning process will be continued with reference to FIG. 20. After the process of S728, the trigger information data 202f set in the trigger setting area 265b is referred to (S729). Then, if the trigger (timing) for calculating the role ratio indicated by the trigger information data 202f is the "number of shots" (S729: "number of shots"), it is determined whether the value of the out counter 263f (i.e., the number of balls shot into the play area) is equal to or greater than the "predetermined number of balls" (set value) included in the trigger information data 202f (S730). If the value of the out counter 263f is equal to or greater than the "predetermined number of balls" (S730: Yes), it is determined that it is time to calculate the role ratio, and the role ratio calculation process is executed (S733), and the process proceeds to S734. Details of the role ratio calculation process will be described later with reference to FIG. 21. On the other hand, if the value of the out counter 263f is not equal to or greater than the "predetermined number of balls" (S730: No), the process proceeds directly to S734.

By defining the trigger (timing) for calculating the feature ratio based on the number of balls fired, it is possible to calculate the feature ratio and consecutive feature ratio when a certain number of balls have been fired. This makes it possible to calculate the feature ratio and consecutive feature ratio at the stage when many balls have entered various winning slots and winning balls have been drawn, allowing for the calculation of average feature ratios and consecutive feature ratios. This makes it possible to eliminate fluctuations in feature ratios and consecutive feature ratios over a short period of time during normal play, making it easier for the inspection device 300 to analyze fraudulent activity.

In the process of S729, if the trigger (timing) for calculating the role ratio indicated in the trigger information data 202f is "time" (S729: "time"), it is determined whether the current time indicated by the RTC 266 has reached the "predetermined time" (set value) included in the trigger information data 202f (S731). Here, "reached" includes not only the case where the current time indicated by the RTC 266 matches the "predetermined time", but also the case where the "predetermined time" has been passed for the first time.

If the process of S731 determines that the current time indicated by the RTC 266 has reached the "predetermined time" (S731: Yes), it is determined that it is time to calculate the reel ratio, and the reel ratio calculation process is executed (S733) and the process proceeds to S734. On the other hand, if the current time indicated by the RTC 266 has not reached the "predetermined time" (S731: No), the process proceeds directly to S734.

By defining the trigger (timing) for calculating the feature ratio based on the current time, the feature ratio and consecutive feature ratio can be reliably calculated at the arrival of a predetermined time even in a situation where the pachinko machine 10 is not often played. Therefore, the reliably calculated feature ratio and consecutive feature ratio can allow the inspection device 300 to reliably analyze whether or not there is any fraudulent activity.

In the process of S729, if the trigger (timing) for calculating the role ratio indicated in the trigger information data 202f is "play time" (S729: "play time"), it is determined whether the cumulative time (play time) during which the player has played on the pachinko machine 10 has reached or exceeded the "predetermined time" included in the trigger information data 202f (S732).

Here, the play time can be calculated, for example, by the following method. That is, a play time counter is provided in the first read/write memory 263. The play time counter, like other counters and data stored in the first read/write memory 263, is initialized to 0 in the initial setting process (see FIG. 18) of the normal 2 executed when power is supplied to the role ratio management chip 207, and in S744 (see FIG. 21) described later executed when the timing for calculating the role ratio arrives. Then, in the setting information reception process, the value of the out buffer 262f is checked, and if a value of 1 or more is set, it means that a ball guided to the ball discharge path has been detected, that is, a ball has been launched into the play area, so the play time counter is counted up by 1. The setting information reception counter is activated by an interrupt signal transmitted from the MPU 201 at 0.5 second intervals. Therefore, the play time can be calculated by accumulating 0.5 seconds to the value of the play time counter.

If it is determined by the processing of S732 that the game time is equal to or longer than the "predetermined time" (S732: Yes), it is determined that it is time to calculate the role ratio, and the role ratio calculation process is executed (S733) and the process proceeds to S734. On the other hand, if the game time is less than the "predetermined time" (S731: No), the process proceeds directly to S734.

The role ratio and consecutive role ratio are originally calculated by performing a test firing test of game balls for 10 hours. By specifying the trigger (timing) for calculating the role ratio based on the playing time, the role ratio management chip can calculate the role ratio and consecutive role ratio that are close to the original definition, so that the inspection device 300 can perform analysis using the role ratio and consecutive role ratio that are close to the original definition.

In the process of S734, all buffers 262 are initialized to 0 (S734). As a result, even if there is a buffer that is not set for each of buffers 262a to 262i when the winning information, out information, and game information are next set by the MPU 201, it is possible to prevent meaningless data from remaining in the buffer, and to prevent the meaningless data from being stored in the first reading and writing memory 263. After the process of S734, the setting information reception process is terminated.

Next, referring to FIG. 21, the role ratio calculation process (S718, S733) executed by the CPU 261 in the role ratio management chip 207 will be described. FIG. 21 is a flowchart showing this role ratio calculation process. The role ratio calculation process is a process for calculating the role ratio and the consecutive role ratio from the information stored in the first reading/writing memory 263 and recording them in the second reading/writing memory 264, and is executed when the timing (trigger) for calculating the role ratio occurs (see FIG. 20), and is also executed when the power is cut off (see FIG. 18).

In the reel ratio calculation process, first, the reel ratio is calculated from the values of the counters 263a to 263f stored in the first reading/writing memory 262, and is added to the reel ratio data 264a together with the current time indicated by the RTC 266 and recorded (S740). Next, the continuous reel ratio is calculated from the values of the counters 263a to 263f stored in the first reading/writing memory 262, and is added to the continuous reel ratio data 264b together with the current time indicated by the RTC 266 and recorded (S741).

The ratio of the special feature and the ratio of the consecutive special features are calculated as follows. That is, the number of balls that have entered the first start port 64a indicated by the start 1 counter 263a stored in the first reading memory 263, the number of balls that have entered the second start port 64b indicated by the start 2 counter 263b, the number of balls that have entered the first normal winning port 63a indicated by the normal 1 counter 263c, the number of balls that have entered the second normal winning port 63b indicated by the normal 2 counter 263d, and the number of balls that have entered the large winning port 65a indicated by the large winning port counter 263e are multiplied by the number of prize balls associated with each winning port indicated in the prize ball number table 202e (see FIG. 9) set in the prize ball number data setting area 265a, and the number of balls paid out to each winning port in association with the winning of that winning port is calculated. Then, by adding these up, the total number of balls paid out to the player is calculated.

Then, the ratio of the sum of the number of balls paid out in association with winning the second start opening 64b and the number of balls paid out in association with winning the large winning opening 65a to the total number of balls paid out to the player is calculated to calculate the ratio of the number of balls paid out in association with winning the large winning opening 65a to the total number of balls paid out to the player, thereby calculating the ratio of the consecutive winning balls.

Normally, the feature ratio and continuous feature ratio refer to the above ratio when a test firing test of game balls is conducted for 10 hours, but in this embodiment, for each timing (trigger) at which the feature ratio is calculated, indicated by the trigger information data 202f set in the trigger setting area 265b, the ratio of the number of balls (prize balls) paid out in association with winning into the second starting port 64a and the large prize port 65a to the total number of balls (prize balls) paid out to the player from the time the power is turned on until that timing is reached for the first time, or from the previous timing to the current timing, is calculated as the feature ratio, and is recorded in the feature ratio data 264a together with the time at that time. In addition, the ratio of the number of balls (prize balls) paid out as a result of winning into the large prize opening 65a to the total number of balls (prize balls) paid out to the player from when the power is turned on until the first time that timing is reached, or from the previous timing to the current timing, is calculated as the continuous feature ratio, and is recorded in the continuous feature ratio data 264b together with the time at that time.

Even if the power is cut off, the power stored in the capacitor 267 is used to calculate the role ratio and consecutive role ratio based on the number of balls (prize balls) paid out during the period from the timing (trigger) for calculating the most recent role ratio until it is determined that the power is cut off, and these are recorded together with the time in the role ratio data 264a or consecutive role ratio data 264b. As a result, after the role ratio and consecutive role ratio are calculated and recorded, the role ratio and consecutive role ratio can be calculated without omission even for the number of prize balls paid out before the power is cut off.

Next, the value of the out counter 263f, which indicates the total number of balls shot into the play area, is added to the shot ball count data 264c together with the current time indicated by the RTC 266 and recorded (S742). Furthermore, the various jackpot information, door open information, error information, and out-of-hours information stored in the jackpot data 263g, open data 263h, error data 263i, and out-of-hours data 263j, and the times associated with each piece of information (the times the information was stored) are arranged (sorted) from the oldest information first, and added to the play status data 264d and recorded (S743).

In the processing of S743, for example, if jackpot information is stored in jackpot data 263g at intervals of less than one second, this means that jackpots are occurring consecutively as a gaming state, so only the oldest jackpot information and its time are recorded in gaming state data 264d. Similarly, for door open information, error information, and after-hours information, if each piece of information is stored in each data 263h-j at intervals of less than one second, only the oldest information and its time are recorded in gaming state data 264d. This makes it possible to keep the storage capacity required for gaming state data 264d small.

As described above, when the reel ratio management chip 207 receives winning information, out information, and information regarding the game status from the MPU 201, it accumulates and temporarily stores this information in the first read/write memory 263, and each time the timing (trigger) for calculating the reel ratio occurs, it calculates the reel ratio and continuous reel ratio based on the information stored in the first read/write memory 263 and adds and records it in the second read/write memory 264. This makes it possible to manage reel ratios, etc. with a small memory capacity and send information regarding the reel ratios, etc. to the inspection device 300.

In addition, the second reading memory 264 also stores the time when the ratio of the reel and the ratio of the consecutive reel are recorded in the second reading memory 264. In addition, the second reading memory 264 records not only the ratio of the reel and the ratio of the consecutive reel, but also information indicating the total number of balls shot into the play area together with the time when the information is recorded in the second reading memory 264, and further, information on the play state (jackpot information, door open information, error information, out of hours information) is stored in the second reading memory 264 together with the time when each information is stored in the first reading memory 263. Therefore, if the ratio of the reel or the ratio of the consecutive reel has changed significantly as a result of analyzing the ratio of the reel and the ratio of the consecutive reel in the inspection device 300, the cause of the change in the ratio of the reel or the ratio of the consecutive reel can be found by analyzing the total number of balls shot into the play area and the play state around the time when the ratio of the reel or the ratio of the consecutive reel is recorded in the second reading memory 264.

Here, the information on the role ratio, consecutive role ratio, and total number of balls shot into the play area that can be recorded in the role ratio data 264a, consecutive role ratio data 264b, and number of shot balls data 264c is each limited to a predetermined number (e.g., 1024). In addition, the total number of winning information, door open information, error information, and out-of-time information that can be recorded in the game status data 264d is also limited to a predetermined number (e.g., 16384). If a predetermined number of pieces of information have already been recorded in the role ratio data 264a, consecutive role ratio data 264b, number of shot balls data 264c, or game status data 264d, the oldest information is erased and the latest information is recorded in its place.

Specifically, the continuous feature ratio data 264b, the number of balls fired data 264c, and the game status data 264d are each configured as a ring buffer, and a memory is provided for each ring buffer to manage the position where information is written. Each time information is written, the writing position is shifted by one, thereby realizing a process in which the oldest information is erased and the latest information is recorded in its place.

In this way, by setting an upper limit on the amount of information that can be recorded for each data, it is possible to prevent the storage capacity of the second reading and writing memory 264 from increasing. Furthermore, when the amount of information that can be recorded for each data reaches the upper limit, the oldest information is erased and the latest information is recorded, allowing the inspection device 300 to perform analysis, including the latest state of the pachinko machine 10.

After the processing of S743, the first reading/writing memory 263 is initialized to all 0 (S744). As a result, the first reading/writing memory 263 will again temporarily store, while accumulating, the information set in the buffer 262 by the MPU 201 until the next time the role ratio is calculated.

When processing of S744 is completed, the reel ratio calculation process is terminated.

Next, the inspection result output process executed by the CPU 261 in the role ratio management chip 207 will be described with reference to FIG. 22. FIG. 22 is a flow chart showing this inspection result output process. This inspection result output process is executed based on an interrupt signal input to the CPU 261 when the connector of the cable connecting the inspection device 300 to the inspection terminal 207a is inserted. In the inspection result output process, the data in the second reading/writing memory 264 is output to the inspection device 300.

When the inspection result output process is executed, first, all the role ratios recorded in the role ratio data 264a and the time at which each role ratio was recorded in the second reading memory 264, which is associated with each role ratio, are output to the inspection device 300 in order from the oldest role ratio recorded (S751).

Specifically, if the upper limit (predetermined number) of information that can be recorded is not met in the reel ratio data 264a, the CPU 261 sequentially reads out the reel ratio information recorded from the position where the reel ratio information was first written in the reel ratio data 264a to the position indicated by the memory that manages the position where the information is written (i.e., the position where the information on the reel ratio at the latest time is recorded), and transmits it to the inspection device 300. On the other hand, if the upper limit (predetermined number) of information that can be recorded is met in the reel ratio data 264a, the CPU 261 sequentially reads out the information recorded up to the position indicated by the memory that manages the position where the information is written (i.e., the position where the information on the reel ratio at the latest time is recorded), shifting the read out position by one, in order, from the next position indicated by the memory that manages the position where the information is written (i.e., the position where the information on the reel ratio at the latest time is recorded), and transmits it to the inspection device 300. As a result, the reel ratio information is output to the inspection device 300 in order from the oldest information.

Next, all the consecutive role ratios recorded in the consecutive role ratio data 264b and the time at which each consecutive role ratio was recorded in the second reading and writing memory 264, which is associated with each consecutive role ratio, are output to the inspection device 300 in order from the oldest role ratio recorded (S752).

Specifically, if the continuous role ratio data 264b does not satisfy the upper limit (predetermined number) of recordable information, the CPU 261 sequentially reads out the continuous role ratio information recorded in the continuous role ratio data 264b from the position where the continuous role ratio information was first written to the position indicated by the memory that manages the position where the information is written (i.e., the position where the continuous role ratio information at the latest time is recorded), and transmits it to the inspection device 300. On the other hand, if the continuous role ratio data 264b satisfies the upper limit (predetermined number) of recordable information, the CPU 261 shifts the read out position one by one in order from the next position indicated by the memory that manages the position where the information is written (i.e., the position where the continuous role ratio information at the oldest time is recorded), and sequentially reads out the information recorded up to the position indicated by the memory that manages the position where the information is written (i.e., the position where the continuous role ratio information at the latest time is recorded), and transmits it to the inspection device 300. As a result, the continuous role ratio information is output to the inspection device 300 in order from the oldest information.

Next, information regarding the number of balls (number of fired balls) fired into all play areas recorded in the fired ball count data 264c, and the time at which the information on the number of fired balls was recorded in the second reading memory 264, which is associated with the information on each number of fired balls, are output to the inspection device 300 in order of the ratio of features recorded oldest first (S753).

Specifically, if the number of shot balls data 264c does not meet the upper limit (predetermined number) of recordable information, the CPU 261 sequentially reads out the information on the number of shot balls recorded from the position where the information on the number of shot balls was first written in the number of shot balls data 264c to the position indicated by the memory that manages the position where the information is written (i.e., the position where the information on the number of shot balls at the latest time is recorded), and transmits it to the inspection device 300. On the other hand, if the number of shot balls data 264c meets the upper limit (predetermined number) of recordable information, the CPU 261 shifts the read out position by one, starting from the next position indicated by the memory that manages the position where the information is written (i.e., the position where the information on the number of shot balls at the oldest time is recorded), and sequentially reads out the information recorded up to the position indicated by the memory that manages the position where the information is written (i.e., the position where the information on the number of shot balls at the latest time is recorded), and transmits it to the inspection device 300. As a result, the information on the number of shot balls is output to the inspection device 300 in order from the oldest information.

Next, all jackpot information, door open information, error information, and out-of-hours information recorded in the game status data 264d, as well as the time when the information was stored in the first reading memory 263, which is associated with each piece of information, are output to the inspection device 300 in order starting with the oldest piece of information (S754).

Specifically, if the upper limit (predetermined number) of recordable information is not met in the game status data 264d, the CPU 261 sequentially reads out information recorded from the position where information was first written in the game status data 264d to the position indicated by the memory that manages the position where information is written (i.e., the position where the information at the latest time is recorded) and transmits it to the inspection device 300. On the other hand, if the upper limit (predetermined number) of recordable information is met in the game status data 264d, the CPU 261 sequentially reads out information recorded up to the position indicated by the memory that manages the position where information is written (i.e., the position where the information at the latest time is recorded) by shifting the read out position by one, starting from the next position indicated by the memory that manages the position where information is written (i.e., the position where the information at the latest time is recorded), and transmits it to the inspection device 300. As described above, in the game status data 264d, each piece of information related to the game status is arranged (sorted) from the oldest information and recorded in the game status data 264d. Therefore, information about the game status will be output to the inspection device 300 in order starting with the oldest information.

By processing S751 to S754, each piece of information is output in order from the oldest to the newest, so the inspection device 300 can easily analyze the changes over time in the ratio of reels, the ratio of consecutive reels, the number of balls fired, and the game state by analyzing each piece of information in the order in which it was output.

After processing S754, the test result output process ends.

As described above, in this pachinko machine 10, the main control device 110 is provided with a feature ratio management chip 207, which obtains winning information from the MPU 201 and calculates and records the feature ratio and consecutive feature ratio in the feature ratio management chip 207. Then, when the inspection device 300 is connected to the inspection terminal 207a, the information relating to the feature ratio and consecutive feature ratio recorded in the feature ratio management chip 207 is output to the inspection device 300.

Here, some cheaters try to increase the number of winning balls at the second starting hole 64b by fraudulently opening the electric device at the second starting hole 64b in some way or by guiding balls to the second starting hole 64b, thereby increasing the chances of winning the jackpot. Also, some cheaters try to win many winning balls by fraudulently opening the opening and closing plate at the large winning hole 65a in some way or by guiding balls to the large winning hole 65a. When such fraudulent behavior occurs, the device ratio and consecutive device ratio become high.

In contrast, the pachinko machine 10 is configured as described above, so that by analyzing the ratio of reels and the ratio of consecutive reels in the inspection device 300, it is possible to detect any fraudulent activity that may be occurring.

In addition, in this pachinko machine 10, information regarding the number of balls shot into the play area and information regarding the play status are also recorded in the bonus ratio management chip 207 and output to the inspection device 300. Therefore, if the analysis by the inspection device 300 indicates that the bonus ratio and continuous bonus ratio are high, the cause can be identified based on the information regarding the number of balls shot into the play area and information regarding the play status.

The reel ratio management chip 207 is provided in the main control device 110 and is stored in one board box 100 together with the MPU 201, ROM 202, etc. This makes it difficult for a fraudster to alter the winning information, etc., input to the reel ratio management chip 207. This makes it possible to maintain high reliability for the reel ratio and continuous reel ratio calculated and output by the reel ratio management chip 207.

In addition, instead of having the MPU 201 manage the ratio of the reels, etc., a dedicated reel ratio management chip 207 is provided to manage the ratio of the reels, etc., which prevents the MPU 201 from increasing its processing load and allows the MPU 201 to focus on the main control of the game.

The bonus feature ratio management chip 207 is provided with a prize ball number data setting area 265a, and when power is supplied, the bonus feature ratio management chip 207 sets the prize ball number table 202e stored in the ROM 202e in the prize ball number data setting area 265a, and calculates the bonus feature ratio and the consecutive bonus feature ratio using the prize ball number data 202e set in the prize ball number data setting area 265a. This eliminates the need to store information on the number of prize balls that differs for each model in the ROM of the bonus feature ratio management chip 207 at the manufacturing stage. This simplifies the manufacture of the bonus feature ratio management chip 207. In addition, if the model of the pachinko machine is different, it is sufficient to change the ROM 202, and the bonus feature ratio can be accurately calculated even if the same bonus feature ratio management chip 207 is used between different models of pachinko machines.

Next, each control process executed by the MPU 221 in the voice lamp control device 113 will be described with reference to Figures 23 to 27. The processes of the MPU 221 are broadly divided into start-up processes that are started when the power is turned on, and main processes that are executed after the start-up processes.

First, the startup process executed by the MPU 221 in the voice lamp control device 113 will be described with reference to FIG. 23. FIG. 23 is a flowchart showing this startup process. This startup process is started when the power is turned on.

When the startup process is executed, first, the initial setting process associated with power-on is executed (S801). Specifically, a predetermined value is set in the stack pointer. Then, depending on whether the power-off processing in progress flag is on, it is determined whether the current startup process was started during the execution of the power-off processing of S915 (see FIG. 24) due to a momentary voltage drop (momentary power outage, so-called "instantaneous power outage") (S802). As will be described later with reference to FIG. 24, when the voice lamp control device 113 receives a power-off command from the main control device 110 (see S912 in FIG. 24), it executes the power-off processing of S915. Before the execution of such power-off processing, the power-off processing in progress flag is turned on, and after the power-off processing is completed, the power-off processing in progress flag is turned off. Therefore, whether the power-off processing of S915 is in the middle of execution can be determined by the state of the power-off processing in progress flag.

If the power-off processing in progress flag is off (S802: No), the current startup process was started after the power was completely cut off, or after a momentary power outage occurred and the power-off processing of S915 was completed, or the process was started after only the MPU 221 of the voice lamp control device 113 was reset due to noise or the like (without receiving a power-off command from the main control device 110). Therefore, in these cases, it is checked whether the data in the RAM 223 has been corrupted (S803).

The confirmation of data corruption in RAM 223 is performed as follows. That is, data as the keyword "55AAh" is written in a specific area of RAM 223 by the processing of S806. Therefore, the data stored in that specific area is checked, and if the data is "55AAh", there is no data corruption in RAM 223, but conversely, if the data is not "55AAh", data corruption in RAM 223 can be confirmed. If data corruption in RAM 223 is confirmed (S803: Yes), the process proceeds to S804, and initialization of RAM 223 begins. On the other hand, if data corruption in RAM 223 is not confirmed (S803: No), the process proceeds to S808.

If the current startup process is started after the power supply is completely cut off, the keyword "55AAh" is not stored in the specific area of RAM 223 (because the memory of RAM 223 is lost when the power supply is cut off), so it is determined that the data in RAM 223 has been destroyed (S803: Yes) and the process proceeds to S804. On the other hand, if the current startup process is started after a momentary power outage occurs and the power cut process of S915 is completed, or if the startup process is started after only the MPU 221 of the voice lamp control device 113 is reset due to noise or the like, the keyword "55AAh" is stored in the specific area of RAM 223, so the data in RAM 223 is determined to be normal (S803: No) and the process proceeds to S808.

If the power-off processing in progress flag is on (S802: Yes), this startup process was started after a momentary power outage occurred, and the MPU 221 of the voice lamp control device 113 was reset while the power-off processing of S915 was in progress. In this case, the storage state of the RAM 223 is not necessarily correct, since the power-off processing is in progress. Therefore, in this case, control cannot continue, so the process proceeds to S804, and initialization of the RAM 223 begins.

In the process of S804, the entire storage area of RAM 223 is checked (S804). The check method is to first write "0FFh" to each byte, then read each byte to check whether it is "0FFh", and if it is "0FFh", it is determined to be normal. This writing and checking for each byte is performed in the order of "0FFh", then "55h", "0AAh", and "00h". This read/write check of RAM 223 clears all storage areas of RAM 223 to 0.

If the read/write check is determined to be normal for all memory areas of the RAM 223 (S805: Yes), the keyword "55AAh" is written in a specific area of the RAM 223 to set RAM destruction check data (S806). By checking the keyword "55AAh" written in this specific area, it is checked whether data destruction has occurred in the RAM 223. On the other hand, if an abnormality in the read/write check is detected in any memory area of the RAM 223 (S805: No), the abnormality in the RAM 223 is notified (S807) and an infinite loop is performed until the power is cut off. The abnormality in the RAM 223 is notified by the display lamp 34. Note that the abnormality in the RAM 223 may be notified by outputting a sound from the audio output device 226, or an error command may be sent to the display control device 114 to display an error message on the third pattern display device 81.

In the process of S808, it is determined whether the power-off flag is on (S808). The power-off flag is turned on when the power-off process of S915 is executed (see S914 in FIG. 24). In other words, the power-off flag is turned on before the power-off process of S915 is executed, so the process of S808 will be reached with the power-off flag on if the current startup process is started after a momentary power outage occurs and the execution of the power-off process of S915 is completed. Therefore, in such a case (S808: Yes), the working area of the RAM is cleared (S809) to initialize each process of the voice lamp control device 113, and after setting the initial value of the RAM 223 (S810), interrupt permission is set (S811), and the process proceeds to the main process. Note that the working area of the RAM 223 refers to an area other than the area for storing commands received from the main control device 110.

On the other hand, when the power-off flag is off and S808 is reached, the process goes from S804 to S806 and reaches S808 because the current startup process was started after the power was completely cut off, or the process was started because only the MPU 221 of the voice lamp control device 113 was reset due to noise or the like (without receiving a power-off command from the main control device 110). Therefore, in such a case (S808: No), S809, which is the process of clearing the working area of RAM 223, is skipped and the process proceeds to S810, where the initial values of RAM 223 are set (S810), interrupt permission is set (S811), and the process proceeds to the main process.

The reason for skipping the clearing process of S809 is that when the process proceeds from S804 to S806 and then to S808, all storage areas of RAM 223 have already been cleared by the process of S804, and when only MPU 221 of voice lamp control device 113 is reset due to noise or the like and start-up processing is started, control of voice lamp control device 113 can be continued by storing the data in the working area of RAM 223 without clearing it.

Next, referring to FIG. 22, the main processing executed by the MPU 221 in the voice lamp control device 113 after the startup processing of the voice lamp control device 113 will be described. FIG. 22 is a flowchart showing this main processing. When the main processing is executed, first, it is determined whether or not 1 millisecond or more has passed since the processing of S901 was executed last time (S901), and if 1 millisecond or more has not passed (S901: No), the processing of S902 to S908 is not executed and the processing proceeds to S910. The reason for determining whether or not 1 millisecond has passed in the processing of S901 is that, while S902 to S908 do not need to be executed in a short cycle (within 1 millisecond), the variable display processing of S910 and the command determination processing of S911 are processes that are preferably executed in a short cycle. By executing the process of S911 at short intervals, it is possible to prevent commands sent from the main control device 110 from being missed, and by executing the process of S910 at short intervals, it is possible to set up the variable performance without delay based on the commands received by the command determination process.

If it is determined in the process of S901 that one millisecond or more has elapsed since the process of S901 was last executed (S901: Yes), the process proceeds to S902. Note that if the process of S901 is executed for the first time after the start-up process shown in FIG. 21, the process proceeds directly to S902.

In the process of S902, various commands for the display control device 114 set by the processes of S903 to S911 are sent to the display control device 114 (S902). Next, the lighting mode of the display lamp 34 is set and the output of each lamp is set to the lighting mode of the lamp edited in the process of S906 described later (S903), and then the power-on notification process is executed (S904). The power-on notification process notifies the user that the power has been turned on for a predetermined time (e.g., 30 seconds) when the power is turned on, and the notification is performed by the audio output device 226 or the lamp display device 227. In addition, a command may be sent to the display control device 114 to notify the user that power has been supplied on the screen of the third pattern display device 81. If the power is not turned on, the process proceeds to S905 without notifying the user by the power-on notification process.

Next, a frame button input monitoring/effect process is executed (S905). This frame button input monitoring/effect process monitors input as to whether or not the frame button 22 operated by the player has been pressed in order to enhance the effect of the effect, and sets up a corresponding effect when input of the frame button 22 is confirmed. In this process, when operation of the frame button 22 by the player is detected, a frame button operation command is set to notify the display control device 114 that the frame button 22 has been operated.

When the frame button 22 is pressed during a period when the change performance is not being executed or during a high-speed change period, a process to change the stage is performed, and a back image change command is set for the display control device 114 instead of the frame button operation command. By including information regarding the type of back image corresponding to the changed stage in this back image change command, the display control device 114 performs a process to change the back image displayed on the third symbol display device 81 to an image corresponding to the stage. In addition, when a preview character appears at the start of the change display, pressing the frame button 22 can display the expected value of a jackpot due to this change, or pressing the frame button 22 during a reach performance can change the performance to one that gives a sense of expectation for a jackpot, or the frame button 22 can be used as a decision button to select one of multiple reach performances. Note that if the frame button 22 is not provided, the process of S905 is omitted.

When the frame button input monitoring and performance process (S905) is completed, then the lamp editing process is executed (S906), and then the sound editing and output process is executed (S907). In the lamp editing process, the lighting patterns of the illumination units 29 to 33 are set to correspond to the display performed by the third pattern display device 81. In the sound editing and output process, the output pattern of the sound output device 226 is set to correspond to the display performed by the third pattern display device 81, and sound is output from the sound output device 226 according to the settings.

After processing S907, the LCD performance execution management process is executed (S908). In the LCD performance execution management process, a time is set that is synchronized with the time required for the variable display performed by the third pattern display device 81 based on the variable pattern command sent from the main control device 110. The lamp editing process of S906 is executed based on the time set in this LCD performance execution monitoring process, and the sound editing/output process of S907 is also executed at a time synchronized with the time required for the variable display performed by the third pattern display device 81. After processing S908, the process moves to S910.

In the processing of S910, in order to display a variable performance on the third pattern display device 81, a variable display process is executed, which is a process of generating a display variable pattern command based on the variable pattern command received from the main control device 110 and setting up to send the command to the display control device 114. Details of this variable display process will be described later with reference to FIG. 26. Then, after the variable display process, a command determination process is executed (S911) in which processing is performed according to the command received from the main control device 110. Details of this command determination process will be described later with reference to FIG. 25.

When the processing of S911 is completed, it is determined whether or not information on the occurrence of a power outage is stored in the work RAM 233 (S912). Information on the occurrence of a power outage is stored when a power outage command is received from the main control unit 110. If information on the occurrence of a power outage is stored in the processing of S912 (S912: Yes), both the power outage flag and the power outage processing in progress flag are turned on (S914), and the power outage processing is executed (S915). After the power outage processing is executed, the power outage processing in progress flag is turned off (S916), and the processing is then looped infinitely. In the power outage processing, the occurrence of interrupt processing is prohibited, each output port is turned off, and the output from the audio output device 226 and the lamp display device 227 is turned off. The stored information on the occurrence of a power outage is also erased.

On the other hand, if the power outage occurrence information is not stored in the process of S912 (S912: No), it is determined whether or not RAM 223 has been corrupted based on the keyword stored in RAM 223 (S913), and if RAM 223 has not been corrupted (S913: No), the process returns to S901 and the main process is executed repeatedly. On the other hand, if RAM 223 has been corrupted (S913: Yes), the process is infinitely looped to stop the execution of subsequent processes.

If it is determined that the RAM has been destroyed and an infinite loop occurs, the main process will not be executed, and the display on the third symbol display device 81 will not change thereafter. This allows the player to know that an abnormality has occurred, and he or she can call a hall staff member or the like to have the pachinko machine 10 repaired. Furthermore, if it is confirmed that the RAM 223 has been destroyed, the sound output device 226 or lamp display device 227 may be used to notify the player of the RAM destruction.

Next, the command determination process (S911) executed by the MPU 221 in the voice lamp control device 113 will be described with reference to FIG. 25. FIG. 23 is a flowchart showing this command determination process (S911). This command determination process (S911) is executed in the main process (see FIG. 24) executed by the MPU 221 in the voice lamp control device 113, and as described above, determines the command received from the main control device 110.

In the command determination process, first, the first command received from the main control unit 110 among the unprocessed commands is read from the command storage area provided in the RAM 223, analyzed, and it is determined whether or not a variation pattern command has been received from the main control unit 110 (S1001). Then, if it is determined that a variation pattern command has been received (S1001: Yes), a variation pattern is extracted from the variation pattern command (S1002), and the process returns to the main process. The variation pattern extracted here is stored in the RAM 223, and is used in the variation display process described below (see FIG. 26) when setting a display variation pattern command that notifies the display control unit 114 of the start of the variation performance and its variation pattern.

On the other hand, if it is determined that the fluctuation pattern command has not been received (S1001: No), then it is determined whether or not a stop type command has been received from the main control device 110 (S1003). If it is determined that a stop type command has been received (S1003: Yes), the stop type is extracted from the stop type command (S1004), the fluctuation start flag is set to ON (S1005), and the process returns to the main processing.

The stop type command is a command that is always sent by the main control device 110 after the main control device 110 sends a variation pattern command when starting a variation presentation, as a command indicating the stop type of the variation presentation whose variation pattern is indicated by the variation pattern command. By setting the variation start flag to on by the processing of S1005, in the variation display processing that is executed later, a display variation pattern command and a display stop type command that notify the display control device 114 of the variation pattern and stop type are generated based on the variation pattern extracted from the previously received variation pattern command and the stop type extracted from the stop type command, and processing is executed to send these to the display control device 114.

If it is determined as a result of the processing of S1003 that a stop type command has not been received (S1003: No), then it is determined whether or not a reserved ball number command has been received from the main control unit 110 (S1006). Then, if it is determined that a reserved ball number command has been received (S1006: Yes), the value of the reserved ball number counter 203a of the main control unit 110 contained in the reserved ball number command (i.e., the number of reserved balls for the reserved variable performance) is extracted and stored in the RAM 223 of the audio lamp control unit 113 (S1007).

The reserved ball count command is sent from the main control unit 110 when a ball enters either the first start port 64a or the second start port 64b (start winning), so each time there is a start winning, the value of the reserved ball count stored in the RAM 223 of the voice lamp control unit 113 can be adjusted to the value of the reserved ball count counter 203a of the main control unit 110 by the processing of S1007. Therefore, even if the value of the reserved ball count of the voice lamp control unit 113 deviates from the value of the reserved ball count counter 203a of the main control unit 110 due to the influence of noise, etc., when the start winning is detected, the value of the reserved ball count counter 223a of the voice lamp control unit 113 can be corrected to match the value of the reserved ball count counter 203a of the main control unit 110.

Next, the values of the first winning random number counter C1, the first winning type counter C2, the stop pattern selection counter C3, and the variation type counter CS1 contained in the received reserved ball count command are extracted and stored in the RAM 223 (S1008).

The values of the counters C1 to C3 and CS1 included in the reserved ball count command are obtained from the counter buffer in the main control unit 110 when the balls enter the first start port 64a and the second start port 64b (start entry). The voice lamp control unit 113 is able to execute pre-reading processing by referencing the counters C1 to C3 and CS1 stored in the RAM 223. In other words, it is able to determine before the execution of the reserved variable performance what the result of the variable performance will be when it is executed (whether it will be a jackpot or not, what the variable time will be, etc.), and decide to execute various types of performances.

Next, a display reserved ball count command is set (S1009) to notify the display control device 114 of the reserved ball count value stored in RAM 223 by the processing of S1007, and the process returns to the main processing. The display reserved ball count command set here is temporarily stored in a command transmission ring buffer provided in RAM 223, and is transmitted to the display control device 114 by the command output processing (S902) of the main processing. As a result, the display control device 114 executes processing to cause the third pattern display device 81 to display a reserved ball count pattern corresponding to the reserved ball count.

If it is determined that the reserved ball number command has not been received as a result of the processing of S1006 (S1006: No), then it is determined whether or not a confirmation command has been received from the main control device 110 (S1010). The confirmation command is a command for confirming and displaying the variable performance being executed on the third pattern display device 81. If it is determined that this confirmation command has been received (S1010: Yes), a display confirmation command for notifying the display control device 114 of the reception of the confirmation command is set (S1011), and the process returns to the main processing. The display confirmation command set here is temporarily stored in a command transmission ring buffer provided in the RAM 223, and is transmitted to the display control device 114 by the command output process (S902) of the main processing. In the display control device 114, by receiving the display confirmation command, the variable performance being executed on the third pattern display device 81 is stopped, and the stop pattern corresponding to the stop type previously indicated by the display stop type command is displayed, thereby causing the confirmation to be displayed.

If it is determined that the confirmation command has not been received as a result of the processing of S1010 (S1010: No), it is determined whether or not another command has been received, and processing corresponding to the received command is executed (S1012), and the process proceeds to the main processing. For example, if the other command is a command used by the voice lamp control device 113, processing corresponding to that command is executed, and the processing result is stored in the RAM 223, and if it is a command used by the display control device 114, the command is set so that the command is sent to the display control device 114. The demo command received from the main control device 110 is set as a display demo command by the processing of S1013, temporarily stored in a command sending ring buffer provided in the RAM 223, and then sent to the display control device 114 by the command output processing (S902) of the main processing.

Next, the variable display process (S910) executed by the MPU 221 in the voice lamp control device 113 will be described with reference to FIG. 26. FIG. 26 is a flowchart showing this variable display process (S910).

This variable display process (S910) is executed within the main process (see FIG. 24) executed by the MPU 221 in the voice lamp control device 113, and as described above, is a process that generates a display variable pattern command and a display stop type command based on the variable pattern command and stop type command received from the main control device 110 in order to display a variable performance on the third pattern display device 81, and sets these commands to be sent to the display control device 114.

In the fluctuation display process, first, it is determined whether or not the fluctuation start flag stored in RAM 223 is on (S1101). Then, if it is determined that the fluctuation start flag is not on (i.e., it is off) (S1101: No), since a stop type command has not been received from the main control unit 110, the fluctuation display process is terminated and the process returns to the main process.

On the other hand, if it is determined that the fluctuation start flag is on (S1101: Yes), the fluctuation start flag is turned off (S1102), and the fluctuation pattern in the fluctuation performance extracted from the fluctuation pattern command in the processing of S1002 of the command determination processing (see FIG. 25) is obtained from the RAM 223 (S1103). The fluctuation pattern extracted here is the fluctuation time. In the voice lamp control device 113, multiple detailed fluctuation patterns are prepared for each fluctuation time, and one detailed fluctuation pattern is determined by lottery from the multiple detailed fluctuation patterns prepared for the extracted fluctuation pattern (fluctuation time), and a display fluctuation pattern command is set to notify the display control device 113 of the determined detailed fluctuation pattern (S1104).

The display variation pattern command set here is temporarily stored in a command transmission ring buffer provided in RAM 223, and is then transmitted to the display control device 114 by the command output process (S902) of the main process. Upon receiving this display variation pattern command, the display control device 114 starts display control of the variation performance so that the third pattern variation display device 81 displays the third pattern variation in the detailed variation pattern indicated by this display variation pattern command.

Next, the stop type in the variable performance extracted from the stop type command in the processing of S1004 of the command determination processing (see FIG. 23) is obtained from the RAM 223 (S1105). Then, a display stop type command is set to notify the display control device 113 of the extracted stop type (S1104). The display stop type command set here is temporarily stored in a command sending ring buffer provided in the RAM 223, and is sent to the display control device 114 by the command output processing (S902) of the main processing. When the display control device 114 is to confirm and display the variable performance executed by the display variable pattern command set in the processing of S1105, it sets a stop pattern corresponding to the stop type indicated by this display stop type command.

Next, as the reserved balls are consumed (i.e., the variable display corresponding to the reserved balls is set) in accordance with the setting of the display variable pattern command, the reserved ball count value in RAM 223 is decremented by 1 (S1107), and a reserved ball count command for display is set to notify the display control device 114 of the updated reserved ball count value (S1108). Then, the process returns to the main process.

The display reserved ball count command set by the processing of S1108 is temporarily stored in a command transmission ring buffer provided in RAM 223, and is then sent to the display control device 114 by the command output processing (S902) of the main processing. The display control device 114 executes processing to cause the third pattern display device 81 to display a number of reserved ball number symbols corresponding to the number of reserved balls indicated by the display reserved ball number command. Thus, the player can recognize the number of reserved balls by counting the number of reserved ball number symbols displayed on the third pattern display device 81.

Next, referring to FIG. 27, the various controls executed by the MPU 231 of the display control device 114 will be described. The processes of the MPU 231 are broadly divided into main processing, which is repeatedly executed after the power is turned on, command interrupt processing, which is executed when a command is received from the voice lamp control device 113, and V interrupt processing, which is executed when the MPU 231 detects a V interrupt signal transmitted from the image controller 236 every 20 milliseconds when the drawing process of one frame of an image is completed. The MPU 231 normally executes the main processing, and executes command interrupt processing and V interrupt processing in accordance with the reception of a command or the detection of a V interrupt signal. Note that if the reception of a command and the detection of a V interrupt signal are performed simultaneously, the command reception processing is executed with priority. This allows the contents of the command received from the voice lamp control device 113 to be quickly reflected and the V interrupt processing to be executed.

First, referring to FIG. 27(a), the main processing executed by the MPU 231 in the display control device 114 will be described. FIG. 27(a) is a flowchart showing this main processing. The main processing is started when the power is turned on, and continues to be executed until the power is turned off.

When the power is turned on and the MPU 231 executes the main processing, first, an initial setting process is executed (S1401). Specifically, first, the MPU 231 is initialized, and the storage of the work RAM 233 and the video RAM 234 is cleared. Then, the compressed character information stored in the character ROM 235 is read, the read character information is decompressed, and the decompressed character information is stored in the video RAM 234. Furthermore, in order to display the initial screen, information corresponding to the initial screen is extracted from the character information written in the video RAM 234, and the extracted character information is written in a frame buffer area prepared in an area of the video RAM 234 different from the area in the video RAM 234 where the decompressed character information is stored. In addition, other settings necessary for initialization are performed.

When the initial setting process is completed, interrupt permission is then set (S1402), and thereafter, the main process executes an infinite loop process until the power is turned off. As a result, after interrupt permission is set by the process of S1402, command interrupt processing and V interrupt processing are executed according to the reception of a command and the detection of a V interrupt signal.

Next, referring to FIG. 27(b), the command interrupt processing executed by the MPU 231 of the display control device 114 will be described. FIG. 27(b) is a flowchart showing the command interrupt processing. As described above, when a command is received from the voice lamp control device 113, the command interrupt processing is executed by the MPU 231.

In this command interrupt process, the received command data is extracted, and the extracted command data is stored sequentially in a command buffer area provided in the work RAM 233 (S1501), and the process ends. The various commands stored in the command buffer area by this command interrupt process are read out by the command determination process of the V interrupt process described below, and processing according to the command is carried out.

Next, referring to FIG. 27(c), the V interrupt processing executed by the MPU 231 of the display control device 114 will be described. FIG. 27(c) is a flowchart showing the V interrupt processing. In this V interrupt processing, various processes corresponding to the commands stored in the command buffer area by the command interrupt processing are executed, and the image to be displayed on the third pattern display device 81 is identified, and the image controller 236 is instructed to draw and display the image.

As described above, this V interrupt process is started when a V interrupt signal from the image controller 236 is detected. This V interrupt signal is generated in the image controller 236 every 20 milliseconds when the drawing process of one frame of an image is completed, and is transmitted to the MPU 231. Therefore, by executing the V interrupt process in synchronization with this V interrupt signal, a drawing instruction is sent to the image controller 236 every 20 milliseconds when the drawing process of one frame of an image is completed. Therefore, the image controller 236 does not receive a drawing instruction for the next image before the drawing process or display process of the image is completed, so it is possible to prevent starting to draw a new image in the middle of drawing an image, or developing an image in response to a new drawing instruction in the frame buffer in which the image information currently being displayed is stored.

In this V interrupt process, as shown in FIG. 27(c), first, a command determination process (S1602) is executed. In this command determination process (S1602), the contents of the command from the voice lamp control device 113 stored in the command buffer area by the command interrupt process are analyzed, and processing according to the command is executed. For example, if a display variation pattern command has been stored, control of the drawing and display of the image is started so that the variation performance is executed by the third pattern display device 81 according to the detailed variation pattern indicated by the display variation pattern table command.

If a display stop type command has been stored, the third pattern being displayed is replaced during high speed fluctuation (while the third pattern is being displayed so that the content of the third pattern cannot be recognized by the player) so that the variable performance executed by the third pattern display device 81 is stopped and displayed with the stop pattern indicated by the display stop type command. If a display confirmation command has been stored, image drawing and display are controlled so that a confirmed display is performed in the variable performance executed by the third pattern display device 81.

Now, in this command determination process (S1602), all commands stored in the command buffer area at that time are analyzed and processed. This is because the command determination process is performed at 20 millisecond intervals when the V interrupt process is executed, and it is highly likely that multiple commands are stored in the command buffer area during those 20 milliseconds. In particular, when the main control device 110 decides to start a variable performance, it is highly likely that a display variable pattern command, a stop type command, etc. are stored in the command buffer area at the same time. Therefore, by analyzing and executing these commands at once, it is possible to quickly grasp the state of the variable performance selected by the main control device 110 and the voice lamp control device 113 and other performances, and control the drawing of the image so that the performance image corresponding to that state is displayed on the third pattern display device 81.

When the command determination process (S1602) is completed, a display setting process (S1603) is then executed. In the display setting process (S1603), the content of one frame of image to be displayed next on the third pattern display device 81 is specifically identified based on the type of screen to be displayed on the third pattern display device 81 determined by the command determination process (S1602) etc.

After the display setting process (S1603) is executed, task processing is then executed (S1064). In this task processing, based on the content of the next frame of image to be displayed on the third display device 281, as specified by the display setting process (S1603), the type of characters (sprites, displayed objects) that make up the image are identified, and various parameters required for drawing, such as the display coordinate position, magnification rate, and rotation angle, are determined for each character (sprite).

Then, the drawing process is executed (S1504). In this drawing process, the types of various characters that make up one frame and the parameters required for drawing each character, which were determined in the task process (S1503), are sent to the image controller 236. As a result, the image controller 236 executes the image drawing process according to this information, and controls the transmission of the image data to the third pattern display device 81 together with the drive signal so that the image drawn according to the information received 1V ago is displayed on the third pattern display device 81.

After that, other necessary processing, such as updating various counters provided in the display control device 114, is performed (S1505), and the V interrupt processing is terminated.

As described above, according to the pachinko machine 10 of the first embodiment, the main control device 110 is provided with a feature ratio management chip 207, which obtains winning information from the MPU 201 and calculates and records the feature ratio and consecutive feature ratio in the feature ratio management chip 207. Then, when the inspection device 300 is connected to the inspection terminal 207a, the information related to the feature ratio and consecutive feature ratio recorded in the feature ratio management chip 207 is output to the inspection device 300.

Here, some cheaters try to increase the number of winning balls at the second starting hole 64b by fraudulently opening the electric device at the second starting hole 64b in some way or by guiding balls to the second starting hole 64b, thereby increasing the chances of winning the jackpot. Also, some cheaters try to win many winning balls by fraudulently opening the opening and closing plate at the large winning hole 65a in some way or by guiding balls to the large winning hole 65a. When such fraudulent behavior occurs, the device ratio and consecutive device ratio become high.

In contrast, the pachinko machine 10 is configured as described above, so that by analyzing the ratio of reels and the ratio of consecutive reels in the inspection device 300, it is possible to detect any fraudulent activity that may be occurring.

In addition, in this pachinko machine 10, information regarding the number of balls shot into the play area and information regarding the play status are also recorded in the bonus ratio management chip 207 and output to the inspection device 300. Therefore, if the analysis by the inspection device 300 indicates that the bonus ratio and continuous bonus ratio are high, the cause can be found based on the information regarding the number of balls shot into the play area and information regarding the play status.

Next, referring to Figures 28 to 30, a pachinko machine 10 according to a second embodiment to which the present invention is applied will be described. In the pachinko machine 10 according to the first embodiment, when the timing for calculating the role ratio is reached, the role ratio and the consecutive role ratio are calculated based on the values of the counters 263a to 263e stored in the first reading memory 263, and the values are recorded in the second reading memory 264. In contrast, in the pachinko machine 10 according to the second embodiment, when the trigger (timing) indicated by the trigger information data 202f set in the trigger setting area 265b is reached, the values of the counters 263a to 263e recorded in the first reading memory 263 are recorded as they are in the second reading memory 264, and the values of the counters 263a to 263e recorded in the second reading memory 264 are output to the inspection device 300 as they are.

The following describes the pachinko machine 10 of the second embodiment, focusing on the differences from the pachinko machine 10 of the first embodiment. In the following description of the pachinko machine 10 of the second embodiment, the same configurations and processes as those of the pachinko machine 10 of the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals as those of the first embodiment, and descriptions thereof will be omitted.

Figure 28 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the main control device 110 in the pachinko machine 10 of the second embodiment. The electrical configuration of the main control device 110 of the second embodiment differs from that of the first embodiment in that the second read/write memory of the reel ratio management chip 207 records winning counter data 264e instead of the reel ratio data 264a and consecutive reel ratio data 264b of the first embodiment.

In addition, in the second embodiment, the meaning of the trigger information data 202f set in the trigger setting area 265b is different from that in the first embodiment. That is, in the second embodiment, the trigger information data 202f indicates a trigger (timing) for recording the values of each of the counters 263a to 263e stored in the first reading/writing memory 263 in the second reading/writing memory 264. Note that only the meaning of the trigger information data 202f is different from that in the first embodiment, and the content itself is the same as in the first embodiment.

In other words, the trigger information data 202f specifies information indicating either the "number of shots," "time," or "play time" as a trigger (timing) for recording the values of each counter 263a to 263e stored in the first reading/writing memory 263 in the second reading/writing memory 264.

When the trigger information data 202f specifies information indicating the "number of shots," it also specifies information indicating the "predetermined number of balls" that is the timing for calculating the ratio of the bonus items. For example, if the trigger information data 202f specifies information indicating the "number of shots" and information indicating 500 balls as the "predetermined number of balls," the values of the counters 263a to 263e stored in the first reading/writing memory 263 are recorded in the second reading/writing memory 264 each time the number of shots reaches 500 balls.

When the trigger information data 202f specifies information indicating "time", it also specifies information indicating a "predetermined time" that is the timing for calculating the role ratio. For example, if the trigger information data 202f specifies information indicating "time" and information indicating 12:00, 17:00, 19:00, and 22:00 as the "predetermined times", the values of the counters 263a to 263e stored in the first reading/writing memory 263 are recorded in the second reading/writing memory 264 at the timings of 12:00, 17:00, 19:00, and 22:00.

When trigger information data 202f specifies information indicating "play time", it also specifies information indicating a "predetermined time" that is the timing for calculating the role ratio. For example, if trigger information data 202f specifies information indicating "play time" and information indicating two hours as the "predetermined time", the values of counters 263a to 263e stored in first reading memory 263 are recorded in second reading memory 264 every time two hours of play time have elapsed.

The winning counter data 264e is data recorded, for each timing (trigger) at which the values of the counters 263a to 263e stored in the first reading memory 263 are recorded in the second reading memory 264, including the total number of balls that have entered the first starting port 64a counted by the first 1 counter 263a of the first reading memory 263, the total number of balls that have entered the second starting port 64b counted by the first 2 counter 263b, the total number of balls that have entered the first normal winning port 63a counted by the normal 1 counter 263c, the total number of balls that have entered the second normal winning port 63b counted by the normal 2 counter 263d, and the total number of balls that have entered the large winning port 65a counted by the large winning port counter 263e, together with the time at which they are recorded.

The total number of balls that have entered each winning slot from the time the power is turned on until the timing is reached for the first time, or from the previous timing to the current timing, is indicated by the counters 263a-263e corresponding to each winning slot. When the time comes to record the values of each counter 263a-263e stored in the first reading/writing memory 263 to the second reading/writing memory 264, the value of each counter 263a-263e at that time is recorded in the winning counter data 264e together with the current time indicated by the RTC 266.

The winning counter data 264e may be associated with a single time and record the total number of balls that have won the first starting gate 64a, the total number of balls that have won the second starting gate 64a, the total number of balls that have won the first regular winning gate 63a, the total number of balls that have won the second regular winning gate 63b, and the total number of balls that have won the large winning gate 65a at that time.

The winning counter data 264e may also be configured to include an area for recording the total number of balls that have entered the first starting port 64a, an area for storing the total number of balls that have entered the second starting port 64a, an area for recording the total number of balls that have entered the first normal winning port 63a, an area for storing the total number of balls that have entered the second normal winning port 63b, and an area for recording the total number of balls that have entered the large winning port 65a. When the timing (trigger) for recording the values of the counters 263a to 263e stored in the first reading memory 263 to the second reading memory 264 occurs, the winning port counter data 264e may be configured to record the total number of balls that have entered the corresponding winning port for each area together with the time at that timing.

Here, the information on the total number of balls that have won each winning port that can be recorded in the winning counter data 264e is limited to a predetermined number (for example, 16384). For example, when the winning counter data 264e is configured to record the total number of balls that have won the first starting port 64a, the total number of balls that have won the second starting port 64a, the total number of balls that have won the first normal winning port 63a, the total number of balls that have won the second normal winning port 63b, and the total number of balls that have won the large winning port 65a at one time in association with one time, if a predetermined number of pieces of information have already been recorded in the winning counter data 264e, the information of the oldest time is erased and the latest information is recorded there. For example, the winning counter data 264e can be configured like a ring buffer, a memory that manages the position where information is written on the ring buffer is separately prepared, and the writing position is shifted by one each time information is written, thereby erasing the oldest information and recording the latest information there. In this way, by setting an upper limit on the amount of information that can be recorded in the winning counter data 264e, it is possible to prevent the storage capacity of the second reading and writing memory 264 from increasing. Furthermore, when the amount of information recorded in the winning counter data 264e reaches the upper limit, the oldest information is deleted and the latest information is recorded, allowing the inspection device 300 to perform an analysis, including the latest state of the pachinko machine 10.

When the winning counter data 264e is configured by providing an area for recording the total number of balls that have entered the first starting port 64a, an area for storing the total number of balls that have entered the second starting port 64a, an area for recording the total number of balls that have entered the first normal winning port 63a, an area for storing the total number of balls that have entered the second normal winning port 63b, and an area for recording the total number of balls that have entered the large winning port 65a, a ring buffer may be configured for each area, and an upper limit may be set for the number of pieces of information that can be recorded in each area, and the above control may be performed. As a result, when the amount of information to be recorded in each area reaches the upper limit, the oldest information is erased and the latest information is recorded, allowing the inspection device 300 to perform analysis, including the latest state of the pachinko machine 10.

When the inspection device 300 is connected to the inspection terminal 207a, an interrupt is generated for the CPU 261, and the CPU 261 transmits the winning counter data 264e, the number of shot balls memory 264c, and the game status data 264d recorded in the second reading and writing memory 264 in order to the inspection device 300. When transmitting each piece of data 264e, 264c, and 264d to the inspection device 300, the CPU 261 reads each piece of information recorded in each piece of data 264e, 264c, and 264d (including the recorded time information associated with each piece of information) in the order in which they were recorded, and transmits them to the inspection device 300.

Specifically, if the data to be transmitted to the inspection device 300 does not satisfy the upper limit number of recordable information (the above-mentioned specified number) set for each piece of data, the CPU 261 sequentially reads out the information recorded from the position where information was first written to the data to the position indicated by the memory that manages the position where information is written (i.e., the position where the information at the latest time is recorded) and transmits it to the inspection device 300. On the other hand, if the data to be transmitted to the inspection device 300 satisfies the upper limit number of recordable information (the above-mentioned specified number) set for each piece of data, the CPU 261 shifts the read out position by one, starting from the next position indicated by the memory that manages the position where information is written (i.e., the position where the information at the oldest time is recorded), sequentially reads out the information recorded up to the position indicated by the memory that manages the position where information is written (i.e., the position where the information at the latest time is recorded), and transmits it to the inspection device 300. As a result, information is output to the inspection device 300 in order from the oldest information.

In addition, if the winning counter data 264e is configured with an area for recording the total number of balls that have entered the first starting gate 64a, an area for storing the total number of balls that have entered the second starting gate 64a, an area for recording the total number of balls that have entered the first normal winning gate 63a, an area for storing the total number of balls that have entered the second normal winning gate 63b, and an area for recording the total number of balls that have entered the large winning gate 65a, by reading out the information for each area as described above, the total number of balls that have entered each winning gate will be output to the inspection device 300 in order starting from the oldest time information.

Next, referring to FIG. 29, the winning information storage process (S718, S733) executed by the CPU 261 in the role ratio management chip 207 in the second embodiment will be described. FIG. 29 is a flowchart showing this winning information storage process. In the first embodiment, when the timing (trigger) for calculating the role ratio is reached (see FIG. 20) or when the power is cut off (see FIG. 18), a role ratio calculation process is executed in which the role ratio and the continuous role ratio are calculated from the information stored in the first reading memory 263 and recorded in the second reading memory 264 (see FIG. 21). In the second embodiment, when the timing (trigger) for recording each information stored in the first reading memory 263 in the second reading memory 264 is reached (see FIG. 20) or when the power is cut off (see FIG. 18), instead of the role ratio calculation process, a winning information storage process is executed. This winning information storage process is a process for recording each information stored in the first reading memory 263 in the second reading memory 264.

In the winning information storage process, first, the values of each counter 263a to 263e corresponding to the winning slots stored in the first reading and writing memory 263 are combined with the current time indicated by the RTC 266 and added to the winning counter data 264e in the second reading and writing memory 264 and recorded (S761). As a result, for each winning timing (trigger) indicated by the trigger information data 202f set in the trigger setting area 265b, the total number of balls that have entered the first starting port 64a counted by the start 1 counter 263a of the first reading memory 263, the total number of balls that have entered the second starting port 64b counted by the start 2 counter 263b, the total number of balls that have entered the first normal winning port 63a counted by the normal 1 counter 263c, the total number of balls that have entered the second normal winning port 63b counted by the normal 2 counter 263d, and the total number of balls that have entered the large winning port 65a counted by the large winning port counter 263e are additionally recorded in the second reading memory 264 during the period from when the power is turned on until the first time that timing is reached, or between the previous timing and the current timing.

In addition, even if the power supply is cut off, the power stored in the capacitor 267 is used to additionally record in the second reading memory 264 the total number of balls that have entered the first starting port 64a counted by the start 1 counter 263a of the first reading memory 263, the total number of balls that have entered the second starting port 64b counted by the start 2 counter 263b, the total number of balls that have entered the first normal winning port 63a counted by the normal 1 counter 263c, the total number of balls that have entered the second normal winning port 63b counted by the normal 2 counter 263d, and the total number of balls that have entered the large winning port 65a counted by the large winning port counter 263e, during the period when it is determined that the power supply is to be cut off from the timing (trigger) of the most recent recording to the second reading memory 264. This allows the total number of winning balls that have won at each winning slot to be recorded in the second reading/writing memory 264 for each winning slot, without missing any winning balls that have won at each winning slot between the timing (trigger) of the most recent recording in the second reading/writing memory 264 and the time when it is determined that the power will be turned off.

Then, in steps S742 to S744, the same processing as steps S742 to S744 of the role ratio calculation processing in the first embodiment (see FIG. 21) is executed, and the winning information storage processing ends.

Next, referring to FIG. 30, the inspection result output process executed by the CPU 261 in the role ratio management chip 207 in the second embodiment will be described. FIG. 30 is a flow chart showing this inspection result output process. As in the first embodiment, this inspection result output process is executed based on an interrupt signal input to the CPU 261 when the connector of the cable connecting the inspection device 300 to the inspection terminal 207a is inserted. In the inspection result output process, data in the second reading/writing memory 264 is output to the inspection device 300.

When the inspection result output process in the second embodiment is executed, first, the prize ball number table 202e set in the prize ball number data setting area 265a is output to the inspection device 300 (S771). Next, all information indicating the total number of winning balls at each winning slot recorded in the winning counter data 264e, together with the time at which the information was recorded in the second reading memory 264, which is associated with each piece of information, is output to the inspection device 300 in order from the oldest recorded information (S772). In S753 and S754, which are executed following the process of S772, the same processes as S753 and S754 in the inspection result output process in the first embodiment are executed, and the inspection result output process is terminated.

The inspection device 300 calculates the ratio of winning devices and the ratio of consecutive winning devices based on the information indicating the total number of winning balls at each winning slot output in S772 and the prize ball number table 202e output in S771, and analyzes the calculated ratio of winning devices and the ratio of consecutive winning devices. If the analysis by the inspection device 300 indicates that the ratio of winning devices and the ratio of consecutive winning devices are high, the cause can be found based on the information on the number of balls shot into the play area and the information on the play status. In addition, the processing of S772 outputs the information indicating the total number of winning balls at each winning slot in order from the oldest to the newest, so the inspection device 300 can easily analyze the change in the ratio of winning devices and the ratio of consecutive winning devices over time by analyzing each piece of information in the order in which it was output.

As described above, according to the pachinko machine 10 of the second embodiment, in the role ratio management chip 207, each time the timing (trigger) indicated by the trigger information data 202f stored in the trigger setting area 265b occurs, the values of the counters 263a to 263e that count the total number of winning balls for each winning slot stored in the first reading/writing memory 263 are sequentially recorded in the winning counter data 264e of the second reading/writing memory 264. Then, when the inspection device 300 is connected to the inspection terminal 207a, the information indicating the total number of winning balls for each winning slot recorded in the winning counter data 264e of the second reading/writing memory 264 is transmitted to the inspection device 300 together with the prize ball number table 202e.

In this way, in the pachinko machine 10 of the second embodiment, the total number of balls that have entered each winning slot is calculated for each winning slot and recorded in the second reading and writing memory 264. Therefore, compared to the first embodiment, in which the calculated role ratio and consecutive role ratio are recorded in the second reading and writing memory 264, the storage capacity required for the second reading and writing memory 264 is larger, but since the total number of winning balls for each winning slot is transmitted to the inspection device 300, if the analysis by the inspection device 300 reveals a large change in the role ratio or consecutive role ratio, the inspection device 300 can refer to the total number of winning balls for each winning slot to more accurately determine the cause.

In addition, the information indicating the total number of balls that entered each winning slot, which is sent to the inspection device 300, is associated with the time at which the information was recorded in the second reading and writing memory 264, and is sent to the inspection device 300. Therefore, in the inspection device 300, if the result of analyzing the role ratio and consecutive role ratio based on the information indicating the total number of balls that entered each winning slot shows a large change in the role ratio or consecutive role ratio, the time at which the total number of balls that entered each winning slot used to calculate the changed role ratio or consecutive role ratio was recorded in the second reading and writing memory 264 is identified, and the total number of balls that entered each winning slot, the total number of balls that were shot into the play area, or the play state around that time is analyzed, and the cause of the change in the role ratio or consecutive role ratio can be found.

Although the present invention has been described above based on the above embodiment, the present invention is not limited to the above form, and it can be easily imagined that various modifications and improvements are possible within the scope of the spirit of the present invention. For example, each embodiment may be modified by adding a part or parts of the configuration of another embodiment to that embodiment, or by replacing a part or parts of the configuration of that embodiment. Furthermore, the numerical values given in the above embodiment are merely examples, and it is of course possible to adopt other numerical values.

In the above embodiments, a counter is provided in the first reading/writing memory 263 to count the number of winning balls for each winning slot, but the number of balls paid out for each winning slot may be counted by the counter provided in the first reading/writing memory 263. In the first embodiment, when it is time to calculate the role ratio, the role ratio and the consecutive role ratio may be calculated based on the number of balls paid out for each winning slot counted by the first reading/writing memory 263, and may be accumulated and recorded in the second reading/writing memory 264. In the second embodiment, when it is time to calculate the role ratio, the number of balls paid out for each winning slot counted by the first reading/writing memory 263 may be accumulated and recorded in the second reading/writing memory 264. In this case, when the number of winning balls for each winning slot in 0.5 seconds is stored in the buffer 262, the CPU 261 may multiply the number of winning balls for each winning slot by the number of winning balls for the corresponding winning slot to calculate the number of balls paid out due to winning during that 0.5 seconds, and add the calculated number of paid out balls to a counter for the corresponding winning slot provided in the first reading/writing memory 263, thereby counting the number of balls paid out due to winning for each winning slot. Also, when the MPU 201 detects that a winning slot has been won, it writes information indicating the winning slot at which the winning slot was won into the buffer 262, and when the information indicating the winning slot at which the winning slot was won is written into the buffer 262, the CPU 261 may add the number of balls paid out due to winning at that winning slot to the counter for the corresponding winning slot obtained in the first reading/writing memory 263, thereby counting the number of balls paid out due to winning for each winning slot. In addition, the MPU 201 counts the number of balls paid out as a result of winning at each winning slot every 0.5 seconds (or every specified time) and stores the number in buffer 262.When the CPU 261 writes to buffer 262, it adds the number of balls paid out as a result of winning at that winning slot in 0.5 seconds, which was written to buffer 262, to the counter for the corresponding winning slot obtained in first reading and writing memory 263, thereby counting the number of balls paid out as a result of winning at each winning slot. Also, when the MPU 201 detects that a prize has been won at one of the prize winning slots, it stores the number of balls paid out as a result of the winning in an area of the buffer 262 corresponding to the prize winning slot where the prize has been won, and when the CPU 261 writes into the buffer 262, it may add the number of paid out balls written into the buffer 262 to the counter of the first read/write memory 263 corresponding to the prize winning slot in which the number of paid out balls has been stored, thereby counting the number of balls paid out as a result of the winning for each prize winning slot. In this way, even if the counter provided in the first read/write memory 263 is configured to count the number of balls paid out as a result of the winning for each prize winning slot, the ratio of the role and the ratio of consecutive roles can be calculated from the counted number of balls paid out as a result of the winning for each prize winning slot, and fraudulent acts can be discovered by analyzing the calculated ratio of the role and the ratio of consecutive roles. In addition, when the number of balls paid out due to winning is stored in the buffer 262 by the MPU 201, it is not necessary to send the prize ball number table 202e to the prize ratio management chip 207, and the prize ratio and consecutive prize ratio can be calculated from the number of balls paid out due to winning for each prize slot stored in the buffer 262. In addition, in order to calculate the prize ratio and consecutive prize ratio in the detection device 300, the number of balls paid out due to winning counted for each prize slot may be sent to the detection device 300. In this case, the prize ratio and consecutive prize ratio can be calculated in the detection device 300 without sending the contents of the prize ball number table 202e to the detection device 300.

In the above first embodiment, the case where the reel ratio data 264a and the continuous reel ratio data 264b are recorded in the second read/write memory 264 and transmitted to the inspection device 300 has been described, but only the reel ratio data 264a may be recorded in the second read/write memory 264 and transmitted to the inspection device 300, or only the continuous reel ratio data 264b may be recorded in the second read/write memory 264 and transmitted to the inspection device 300. The inspection device 300 can analyze fraudulent activity by analyzing the reel ratio or continuous reel ratio transmitted from the reel ratio management chip 207.

In the above embodiments, the first reading/writing memory 263 is configured as a volatile memory, but the first reading/writing memory 263 may be configured as a non-volatile memory (e.g., flash memory, FeRAM, MRAM, ReRAM, etc.). In addition, the power supply device 115 may be configured to supply a backup voltage to the first reading/writing memory 263 even while the power is turned off. In this case, in the process of S711 (see FIG. 18) executed by the CPU 261 when power is supplied to the role ratio management chip 207, initialization of the first reading/writing memory 263 may not be executed. This allows the counters 263a to 263f and the data 263g to 263j stored in the first reading/writing memory 263 to be held even while the power is turned off. Therefore, even if the reel ratio calculation process or winning information storage process is not executed when the power supply to the reel ratio management chip 207 is cut off, the reel ratio and the like can be calculated without missing any winnings at each winning slot that occurred between the timing (trigger) of the most recent recording to the second read/write memory 264 before the power supply was cut off and the timing when it was determined that the power supply was cut off, and the total number of winnings can be recorded to the second read/write memory 264. Therefore, in this case, the capacitor 267 may not be necessary.

In the above embodiments, when the inspection device 300 is connected to the inspection terminal 207a, the inspection result output process is executed and the information recorded in the second read/write memory 264 is output. However, in addition to the information, the information stored in the first read/write memory 263 may also be output. The information stored in the first read/write memory 263 is information that has not been used to calculate the role ratio and continuous role ratio recorded in the second read/write memory 264 because the timing (trigger) for recording to the second read/write memory 264 has not yet been reached, or the information is not recorded in the second read/write memory 264. Therefore, by transmitting the information stored in the first read/write memory 263 to the inspection device 300, the inspection device 300 can perform analysis using the latest information.

In the first embodiment, the reel ratio and consecutive reel ratio calculated by the reel ratio management chip 207 are transmitted to the inspection device 300 as information recorded in the second reading/writing memory 264. However, by also transmitting the information stored in the first reading/writing memory 263 to the inspection device 300, the inspection device 300 can grasp the raw information before calculating the reel ratio and consecutive reel ratio, that is, the total number of balls that have won in each winning slot, although it is short-term information. Therefore, the analysis in the inspection device 300 can be performed more deeply and accurately.

As a modified example of the first embodiment, when the information stored in the first reading/writing memory 263 is transmitted to the inspection device 300 together with the calculated feature ratio and consecutive feature ratio calculated by the feature ratio management chip 207 as information recorded in the second reading/writing memory 264, the prize ball number table 202e may be transmitted to the inspection device 300. As a result, the inspection device 300 can use the prize ball number table 202e to calculate and analyze the latest feature ratio and consecutive feature ratio from the total number of winning balls for each winning slot transmitted from the first reading/writing memory 263. Note that the feature ratio and consecutive feature ratio calculated here are calculated based on the total number of winning balls for each winning slot in a short period of time before the timing indicated by the trigger information data 202f set in the trigger setting area 265b, so the calculated feature ratio and consecutive feature ratio are not necessarily accurate values, but can be used as reference values for the analysis of the inspection device 300.

In addition, when the inspection device 300 is connected to the inspection terminal 207a, the CPU 261 may calculate the role ratio and the consecutive role ratio based on the information stored in the first reading and writing memory 263, and output the calculated role ratio and consecutive role ratio together with the information recorded in the second reading and writing memory 264 to the inspection device 300. This allows the inspection device 300 to easily analyze fraudulent behavior using the role ratio and consecutive role ratio output from the role ratio management chip 207. In this case, the information stored in the first reading and writing memory 263 may also be output to the inspection device 300. This allows the inspection device 300 to perform a deeper analysis using information related to the latest winning. In this case, the prize ball number table 202e may also be sent to the inspection device 300. This allows the inspection device 300 to perform a deeper analysis while referring to the prize ball number table 202e.

In each of the above embodiments, a volatile first reading/writing memory 263 and a non-volatile second reading/writing memory 264 are provided in the reel ratio management chip 207, and information set in the buffer 262 by the MPU 201 is temporarily stored in the first reading/writing memory 263 while accumulating until the timing (trigger) indicated by the trigger information data 202f set in the trigger setting area 265b is reached, and when that timing is reached, the reel ratio and continuous reel ratio are calculated based on the information stored in the first reading/writing memory 263 and recorded in the second reading/writing memory 264, or various information accumulated and stored in the first reading/writing memory 263 until that timing is reached is recorded in the second reading/writing memory 264. In response to this, the role of the reel ratio management chip 207 is provided with a non-volatile memory having at least a first reading area that plays the role of the first reading memory 263 and a second reading area that plays the role of the second reading memory 264, and the information set in the buffer 262 by the MPU 201 is temporarily stored in the first reading area while accumulating until the timing (trigger) indicated by the trigger information data 202f set in the trigger setting area 265b is reached. When the timing is reached, the role ratio and the consecutive role ratio are calculated based on the information temporarily stored in the first reading area and recorded in the second reading area, or various information accumulated and stored in the first reading area until the timing is reached may be recorded in the second reading area. This can reduce the number of parts in the memory, thereby suppressing the increase in cost of the role ratio management chip 207.

In each of the above embodiments, the MPU 201 counts the number of balls that have won at each winning slot within 0.5 seconds for each winning slot, and also counts the number of balls that have been guided to the ball discharge path, and the number of balls counted for each winning slot, the number of balls that have been guided to the ball discharge path, and information regarding the game status at that time are set in the buffer 262 of the device ratio management chip 207 every 0.5 seconds, and each time this setting is made in the buffer 262, the number of balls that have won at each winning slot set in the buffer 262, the number of balls that have been guided to the ball discharge path, and information regarding the game status are cumulatively stored in the first reading and writing memory 263. In response to this, in the MPU 201, in the timer interrupt processing executed every 2 milliseconds based on the output of various switches, when a winning entry at the first start port 64a is detected by the output of the first start port switch 208a, the start 1 buffer 262a is turned on, when a winning entry at the second start port 64b is detected by the output of the second start port switch 208b, the start 2 buffer 262b is turned on, when a winning entry at the first normal winning port 63a is detected by the output of the first normal winning port switch 208c, the normal 1 buffer 262c is turned on, and when a winning entry at the first normal winning port 63a is detected by the output of the second normal winning port switch 208d, the normal 2 buffer 262c is turned on. When a winning entry at the second normal winning port 63b is detected by the output of the large winning port switch 208, the normal 2 buffer 262d is turned on, when a winning entry at the large winning port 65a is detected by the output of the large winning port switch 208, the large winning port buffer 262e is turned on, and when a ball guided to the ball discharge path is detected by the out switch 208f, the out buffer 262f is turned on, and the corresponding jackpot buffer 262g, open buffer 262h, and error buffer 262i are turned on depending on the game status at that time, and an interrupt signal may then be sent to the bonus ratio management chip 207. In the role ratio management chip 207, in the setting information receiving process executed upon receiving an interrupt signal, if the start 1 buffer 262a is turned on, the start 1 counter 263a is counted up by 1, if the start 2 buffer 262b is turned on, the start 2 counter 263b is counted up by 1, if the normal 1 buffer 262c is turned on, the normal 1 counter 263c is counted up by 1, if the normal 2 buffer 262d is turned on, the normal 2 counter 263d is counted up by 1, if the large prize opening buffer 262e is turned on, the large prize opening counter 263e is counted up by 1, and if the out buffer 262f is turned on, the out buffer 262f is counted up by 1. The out counter 263f is counted up by one, and when the jackpot buffer 262g is on, the jackpot information is added to the jackpot data 263g together with the time at that time and stored. When the open buffer 262h is on, the door open information is added to the open data 263h together with the time at that time and stored. When the error buffer 262i is on, the error information is added to the error data 263i together with the time at that time and stored. Also, when the time when the setting information reception process is being executed is in the late night hours, the overtime information is added to the overtime data 263j together with the time at that time and stored. This eliminates the need for the MPU 201 to count the number of balls that have entered each winning hole or the number of balls that have been guided to the ball discharge path in 0.5 seconds, and therefore the processing load of the MPU 201 can be suppressed from increasing. Therefore, much of the processing capacity of the MPU 201 can be allocated to the main control of the game that should be performed by the MPU 201.

In this case, the first start port switch 208a, the second start port switch 208b, the first normal winning port switch 208c, the second normal winning port switch 208d, the big winning port switch 208e and the out switch 208f may be directly input to the bonus ratio management chip 207. The bonus ratio management chip 207 may be configured to determine whether or not a prize has been won in the first start port 64a, the second start port 64b, the first normal winning port 63a, the second normal winning port 63b, and the large winning port 65a, and whether or not a ball has been guided to the ball discharge path, based on the outputs of the first start port switch 208a, the second start port switch 208b, the first normal winning port switch 208c, the second normal winning port switch 208d, the large winning port switch 208e, and the out switch 208f. If a prize has been won, the counters 263a to 264e of the first read/write memory 263 corresponding to the winning start port are counted up by one, and if a ball has been guided to the ball discharge path, the out counter 263f is counted up by one. This allows the bonus ratio management chip 207 to immediately reflect the situation when a prize has been won in a winning port or when a ball has been guided to the ball discharge path. Also, the door opening switch 208g may be directly input to the role ratio management chip 207, and the role ratio management chip 207 may determine whether the inner frame 12 or the front frame 14 is open based on the output of the door opening switch 208g. If the inner frame 12 or the front frame 14 is open, the role ratio management chip 207 may be configured to add and store the door open information together with the time indicated by the RTC 266 at that time to the open data 263h. This allows the role ratio management chip 207 to immediately reflect the situation when the inner frame 12 or the front frame 14 is opened.

In each of the above embodiments, in the role ratio management chip 207, the number of balls that have entered each winning slot by the timing (trigger) indicated by the trigger information data 202f set in the trigger setting area 265b is counted by each counter 263a to 264e of the first reading/writing memory 263, and the number of balls that have been discharged to the ball discharge path by the timing (trigger) is counted by the out counter 263f of the first reading/writing memory 263. However, the first reading/writing memory 263 may be configured to sequentially store the values of the start 1 buffer 262a, start 2 buffer 262b, normal 1 buffer 262c, normal 2 buffer 263c, large winning slot buffer 262e, and out buffer 262d (i.e., the number of balls that have entered each winning slot within 0.5 seconds, and the number of balls that have been guided to the ball discharge path within 0.5 seconds) set by the MPU 201 every 0.5 seconds, together with the current time indicated by the RTC 266. Then, when the timing (trigger) indicated by the trigger information data 202f set in the trigger setting rear 265b is reached, the role ratio and the consecutive role ratio are calculated from each value stored in the first reading/writing memory 263 and recorded in the second reading/writing memory 264, or the total number of balls that have entered each winning slot until that timing is reached may be calculated for each winning, and the total number of balls that have been discharged to the ball discharge path until that timing is reached may be calculated and recorded in the second reading/writing memory 264. By this means, the information recorded in the second reading/writing memory 264 can be transmitted to the inspection device 300, and the inspection device 300 can determine whether or not there is a possibility of fraudulent activity from the role ratio and the consecutive role ratio. In this case, when transmitting the information recorded in the second reading/writing memory 264 to the inspection device 300, the information stored in the first reading/writing memory 263, i.e., the number of balls that entered each winning slot during 0.5 seconds, the number of balls guided to the ball discharge path during 0.5 seconds, and the time associated with these numbers of balls (i.e., the time when the number of balls was stored in the first reading/writing memory 263) may be transmitted to the inspection device 300. This allows the inspection device 300 to grasp detailed information such as information on how many balls entered which winning slot and at what time every extremely short time of 0.5 seconds, and how many balls were guided to the ball discharge path and at what time every extremely short time of 0.5 seconds (i.e., how many balls were launched into the play area). Therefore, the analysis in the inspection device 300 can be performed more deeply and accurately.

As a modified example of the first embodiment, when the information stored in the second reading/writing memory 264 is configured to transmit the role ratio and consecutive role ratio calculated by the role ratio management chip 207 to the inspection device 300 and also transmit the information stored in the first reading/writing memory 263 to the inspection device 300, the prize ball number table 202e may be further transmitted to the inspection device 300. As a result, the inspection device 300 can calculate the total number of winning balls for each winning slot from the number of balls that have won each winning slot every 0.5 seconds transmitted from the first reading/writing memory 263, and then calculate and analyze the latest role ratio and consecutive role ratio using the prize ball number table 202e. The combination ratio and consecutive combination ratio calculated here are calculated based on the total number of balls that entered each winning slot within a short period of time before the timing indicated by the trigger information data 202f set in the trigger setting area 265b. Therefore, the calculated combination ratio and consecutive combination ratio are not necessarily accurate values, but can be used as reference values for analysis by the inspection device 300.

In addition, when the first reading/writing memory 263 stores the number of balls that entered each winning slot during 0.5 seconds, the number of balls that were guided to the ball discharge path during 0.5 seconds, and the time associated with the number of balls (i.e., the time when the number of balls was stored in the first reading/writing memory 263), the information stored in the first reading/writing memory 263 may be recorded in the second reading/writing memory 264 when the timing (trigger) indicated by the trigger information data 202f set in the trigger setting area 265b is reached. Then, the number of balls that entered each winning slot during 0.5 seconds, the number of balls that were guided to the ball discharge path during 0.5 seconds, and the time associated with the number of balls recorded in the second reading/writing memory 264 may be transmitted to the inspection device 300, and the prize ball number table 202e set in the prize ball number data setting area 265a may also be transmitted to the inspection device 300. In this way, the inspection device 300 calculates the total number of winning balls for each winning slot for each predetermined section from the number of balls that enter each winning slot every 0.5 seconds, and then calculates the ratio of winning balls and the ratio of consecutive winning balls for each predetermined section using the prize ball number table 202e, and can analyze the possibility of fraudulent activity from the change in the ratio of winning balls and the ratio of consecutive winning balls. In addition, if there is a change in the ratio of winning balls and the ratio of consecutive winning balls that is suspected to be fraudulent activity, the inspection device 300 has inputted detailed information related to the game, such as the number of balls that entered each winning slot in 0.5 seconds, the number of balls that were guided to the ball discharge path in 0.5 seconds, and the time associated with these numbers of balls, so that the cause of the change in the ratio of winning balls and the ratio of consecutive winning balls can be investigated in detail based on this information.

In addition, instead of providing the first reading/writing memory 263, the values of the start 1 buffer 262a, start 2 buffer 262b, normal 1 buffer 262c, normal 2 buffer 263c, special prize slot buffer 262e, and out buffer 262d set by the MPU 201 every 0.5 seconds (i.e., the number of balls that entered each prize slot during a 0.5 second period, and the number of balls that were guided to the ball discharge path during a 0.5 second period) may be recorded directly in the second reading/writing memory 264 in sequence together with the current time indicated by the RTC 266. In this case, the information about the game status set in the jackpot buffer 262g, the open buffer 262h, and the error buffer 262i every 0.5 seconds may be recorded in the game status data 264d of the second read/write memory 264 together with the time indicated by the RTC 266, and if the buffer 262 is set by the MPU 201 during the night, the after-hours information may be recorded in the game status data 264d together with the time indicated by the RTC 266. This makes it possible to eliminate the need for the first read/write memory 263, thereby suppressing the increase in cost of the bonus ratio management chip 207.

In addition, in the timer interrupt process executed every 2 milliseconds in the MPU 201 based on the output of various switches, when a winning entry is detected at the first start port 64a by the output of the first start port switch 208a, the start 1 buffer 262a is turned on, when a winning entry is detected at the second start port 64b by the output of the second start port switch 208b, the start 2 buffer 262b is turned on, when a winning entry is detected at the first normal winning port 63a by the output of the first normal winning port switch 208c, the normal 1 buffer 262c is turned on, when a winning entry is detected at the second normal winning port 63b by the output of the second normal winning port switch 208d, the normal 2 buffer 262d is turned on, and when a winning entry is detected at the large winning port switch 208, the large winning port switch 208 is turned on. When a prize is detected at the prize port 65a, the large prize port buffer 262e is turned on, and when a ball guided to the ball discharge path is detected by the out switch 208f, the out buffer 262f is turned on. In this case, the first reading and writing memory 263 may be configured to sequentially store the values of the start 1 buffer 262a, start 2 buffer 262b, normal 1 buffer 262c, normal 2 buffer 263c, large prize port buffer 262e, and out buffer 262d set by the MPU 201 every 2 milliseconds (i.e., information indicating whether or not a prize has been won at each prize port within a 2 millisecond period, and information indicating whether or not a ball has been guided to the ball discharge path within a 2 millisecond period) together with the current time indicated by the RTC 266. Then, when the timing (trigger) indicated by the trigger information data 202f set in the trigger setting area 265b is reached, the role ratio and the consecutive role ratio are calculated based on each value stored in the first reading/writing memory 263 and recorded in the second reading/writing memory 264, or the total number of balls that have entered each winning slot until that timing is reached may be calculated for each winning, and the total number of balls that have been discharged to the ball discharge path until that timing is reached may be calculated and recorded in the second reading/writing memory 264. By this means, the information recorded in the second reading/writing memory 264 can be transmitted to the inspection device 300, and the inspection device 300 can determine whether or not there is a possibility of fraudulent activity from the role ratio and the consecutive role ratio. In this case, when transmitting the information recorded in the second reading/writing memory 264 to the inspection device 300, the information stored in the first reading/writing memory 263, i.e., information indicating whether or not a prize was won at each winning port during the 2 millisecond period, and information indicating whether or not a ball was guided to the ball discharge path during the 2 millisecond period, together with the time associated with the information (i.e., the time when the information was stored in the first reading/writing memory 263) may be transmitted to the inspection device 300. This allows the inspection device 300 to grasp detailed information such as which winning port was won at what time in the extremely short time interval of 2 milliseconds, and at what time the ball was guided to the ball discharge path (i.e., launched into the play area) in the extremely short time interval of 2 milliseconds. Therefore, the analysis in the inspection device 300 can be performed more deeply and accurately.

In addition, in the timer interrupt process executed every 2 milliseconds in the MPU 201 based on the output of various switches, if the output of the first start port switch 208a detects a winning entry at the first start port 64a, the start 1 buffer 262a is turned on, if the output of the second start port switch 208b detects a winning entry at the second start port 64b, the start 2 buffer 262b is turned on, if the output of the first normal winning port switch 208c detects a winning entry at the first normal winning port 63a, the normal 1 buffer 262c is turned on, and if the output of the second normal winning port switch 208d detects a winning entry at the second normal winning port 63b, the normal 2 buffer 262d is turned on. In a configuration in which the large prize opening buffer 262e is turned on when the output of the large prize opening switch 208 detects a win at the large prize opening 65a, and the out buffer 262f is turned on when the out switch 208f detects a ball guided to the ball discharge path, the first reading/writing memory 263 may be configured to sequentially store information indicating the winning opening at which the win occurred if any of the buffers 262a to 262e corresponding to each winning opening is turned on, and information indicating that a ball has been guided to the ball discharge path if the out buffer 262f is turned on, along with the current time indicated by the RTC 266. Then, when the timing (trigger) indicated by the trigger information data 202f set in the trigger setting area 265b is reached, the role ratio and the consecutive role ratio are calculated based on each piece of information stored in the first reading/writing memory 263 and recorded in the second reading/writing memory 264, or the total number of balls that have entered each winning slot until that timing is reached may be calculated for each winning, and the total number of balls that have been discharged to the ball discharge path until that timing is reached may be calculated and recorded in the second reading/writing memory 264. By this means, the information recorded in the second reading/writing memory 264 can be transmitted to the inspection device 300, allowing the inspection device 300 to determine whether or not there is a possibility of fraudulent activity from the role ratio and the consecutive role ratio. In this case, when transmitting the information recorded in the second reading/writing memory 264 to the inspection device 300, the information stored in the first reading/writing memory 263, i.e., information indicating whether or not a prize was won at each winning port for 2 milliseconds, and information indicating whether or not a ball was guided to the ball discharge path for 2 milliseconds, may be transmitted to the inspection device 300 together with the time associated with the information (i.e., the time when the information was stored in the first reading/writing memory 263). This allows the inspection device 300 to grasp detailed information such as which winning port was won at what time, and at what time the ball was guided to the ball discharge path (i.e., launched into the play area). Therefore, the analysis in the inspection device 300 can be performed more deeply and accurately.

As a modified example of the first embodiment, when the information stored in the second reading/writing memory 264 is configured to transmit the role ratio and consecutive role ratio calculated by the role ratio management chip 207 to the inspection device 300 and also transmit the information stored in the first reading/writing memory 263 to the inspection device 300, the prize ball number table 202e may be further transmitted to the inspection device 300. As a result, the inspection device 300 can calculate the total number of winning balls for each winning slot from the information indicating the presence or absence of winning balls in each winning slot every 2 milliseconds transmitted from the first reading/writing memory 263, and then calculate and analyze the latest role ratio and consecutive role ratio using the prize ball number table 202e. The combination ratio and consecutive combination ratio calculated here are calculated based on the total number of balls that entered each winning slot within a short period of time before the timing indicated by the trigger information data 202f set in the trigger setting area 265b. Therefore, the calculated combination ratio and consecutive combination ratio are not necessarily accurate values, but can be used as reference values for analysis by the inspection device 300.

In addition, when the first reading/writing memory 263 stores information indicating whether or not a prize has been won at each winning port for 2 milliseconds, information indicating whether or not a ball has been guided to the ball discharge path for 2 milliseconds, and the time associated with the information (i.e., the time when the information is stored in the first reading/writing memory 263), the information stored in the first reading/writing memory 263 may be recorded in the second reading/writing memory 264 when the timing (trigger) indicated by the trigger information data 202f set in the trigger setting area 265b is reached. Then, the information indicating whether or not a prize has been won at each winning port for 2 milliseconds, information indicating whether or not a ball has been guided to the ball discharge path for 2 milliseconds, and the time associated with the information, recorded in the second reading/writing memory 264, may be transmitted to the inspection device 300, and the prize ball number table 202e set in the prize ball number data setting area 265a may also be transmitted to the inspection device 300. In this way, the inspection device 300 calculates the total number of winning balls at each winning slot for each predetermined section from the information indicating the presence or absence of winning balls at each winning slot every 2 milliseconds, and then calculates the ratio of winning balls and the ratio of consecutive winning balls for each predetermined section using the prize ball number table 202e, and can analyze the possibility of fraudulent activity from the change in the ratio of winning balls and the ratio of consecutive winning balls. In addition, if there is a change in the ratio of winning balls and the ratio of consecutive winning balls that is suspected to be fraudulent activity, the inspection device 300 has inputted detailed information related to the game, such as information indicating the presence or absence of winning balls at each winning slot for 2 milliseconds, information indicating the presence or absence of balls guided to the ball discharge path for 2 milliseconds, and the time associated with these pieces of information, so that the cause of the change in the ratio of winning balls and the ratio of consecutive winning balls can be investigated in detail based on this information.

In addition, when the first reading/writing memory 263 stores information indicating the winning opening where a prize was won, information indicating that a ball was guided to the ball discharge path, and the time associated with the information (i.e., the time when the information was stored in the first reading/writing memory 263), the information stored in the first reading/writing memory 263 may be recorded in the second reading/writing memory 264 at the timing (trigger) indicated by the trigger information data 202f set in the trigger setting area 265b. The information indicating the winning opening where a prize was won, information indicating that a ball was guided to the ball discharge path, and the time associated with the information recorded in the second reading/writing memory 264 may be transmitted to the inspection device 300, and the prize ball number table 202e set in the prize ball number data setting area 265a may also be transmitted to the inspection device 300. In this way, the inspection device 300 calculates the total number of winning balls for each winning port for each predetermined section from the information indicating the winning port where a prize was won, and then calculates the ratio of the winning devices and the ratio of consecutive winning devices for each predetermined section using the prize ball number table 202e, and can analyze the possibility of fraudulent activity from the change in the ratio of the winning devices and the ratio of consecutive winning devices. In addition, if there is a change in the ratio of the winning devices and the ratio of consecutive winning devices that is suspected of fraudulent activity, the inspection device 300 has inputted detailed information related to the game, such as the information indicating the winning port where a prize was won, the information indicating that a ball was guided to the ball discharge path, and the time associated with this information, so that the cause of the change in the ratio of the winning devices and the ratio of consecutive winning devices can be investigated in detail based on this information.

In addition, instead of providing the first reading/writing memory 263, the values of the start 1 buffer 262a, start 2 buffer 262b, normal 1 buffer 262c, normal 2 buffer 263c, large prize opening buffer 262e, and out buffer 262d set by the MPU 201 every 2 milliseconds (i.e., information indicating whether or not a prize has been won at each winning opening during a 2 millisecond period, and information indicating whether or not a ball has been guided to the ball discharge path during a 2 millisecond period) may be recorded directly in the second reading/writing memory 264 in sequence together with the current time indicated by the RTC 266. In this case, the information about the game status set in the jackpot buffer 262g, the open buffer 262h, and the error buffer 262i every 2 milliseconds may be recorded in the game status data 264d of the second read/write memory 264 together with the time indicated by the RTC 266, and if the buffer 262 is set by the MPU 201 during the night, the after-hours information may be recorded in the game status data 264d together with the time indicated by the RTC 266. This makes it possible to eliminate the need for the first read/write memory 263, thereby suppressing the increase in cost of the bonus ratio management chip 207.

In each of the above embodiments, the checksum value in the area where information is recorded in the second read/write memory 264 (for example, in the first embodiment, the area where the feature ratio data 264a, the continuous feature ratio data 264b, the number of shot balls data 264c, and the game status data 264d are recorded, and in the second embodiment, the area where the number of shot balls data 264c, the game status data 264d, and the winning counter data 264e are recorded) is calculated and stored in the second read/write memory 264, and when transmitting the information recorded in the second read/write memory 264 to the inspection public fund 300, the checksum value may also be transmitted. Then, when the inspection device 300 receives the information recorded in the second read/write memory 264, it may calculate a checksum value from the received information, compare it with the checksum value transmitted from the feature ratio management chip 207, and if they match, determine that the received information is correct and perform analysis. This makes it possible to prevent the inspection device 300 from performing an analysis based on incorrect information.

In the above embodiments, when the inspection device 300 is connected to the inspection terminal 207a, an interrupt signal is generated, and the CPU 261 executes the inspection result output process based on the interrupt signal, and the information recorded in the role ratio management chip 207 is output to the inspection device 300. However, this is not necessarily limited to this, and the information recorded in the role ratio management chip 207 may be output to the inspection device 300 based on a command transmitted from the inspection device 300 connected to the inspection terminal 207a. As a result, if the inspection device 300 transmits a command to the role ratio management chip 207 after it is in a state where it can receive information transmitted from the role ratio management chip 207, the inspection device 300 can reliably receive the information transmitted from the role ratio management chip 207.

In each of the above embodiments, when the CPU 261 is executing the role ratio calculation process (first embodiment) or the winning information storage process (second embodiment), if the inspection device 300 is connected to the inspection terminal 207a and an interrupt signal is generated, the execution of the inspection result output process corresponding to the interrupt signal may be put on hold while the role ratio calculation process or the winning information storage process is being executed, and the execution of the inspection result output may be started after the role ratio calculation process or the winning information storage process is completed. This makes it possible to prevent a situation in which the inspection result output process is executed during the execution of the role ratio calculation process or the winning information storage process, and strange information is sent to the inspection device 300 because writing to the second reading and writing memory 264 is in the middle of being performed.

In the above embodiments, the main control device 110 has been described as transmitting winning information, etc., in one direction from the MPU 201 to the bonus ratio management chip 207. However, the MPU 201 may obtain information output from the bonus ratio management chip 207 and execute some processing based on the information. For example, if the operation of the bonus ratio management chip 207 stops or an error occurs in the processing of the bonus ratio management chip 207, the information is transmitted from the bonus ratio management chip 207 to the MPU 201, and the MPU 201 may control the first symbol display device 37 to display, light or blink a lamp, output a sound, display the third symbol display device 81, or the like, based on the information, to notify the fact. This allows the hall personnel to know the abnormality of the bonus ratio management chip 207 and to take some kind of action. Furthermore, the MPU 201 may reset the reel ratio management chip 207 based on information indicating that the operation of the reel ratio management chip 207 has stopped or information indicating that some error has occurred in the processing of the reel ratio management chip 207. This allows the abnormality in the reel ratio management chip 207 to be automatically resolved, and the reel ratio management chip 207 to operate again.

In addition, in the pachinko machine 10 of the first embodiment, when the role ratio calculated by the role ratio management chip 207 is received by the MPU 201 and the role ratio is higher than a first predetermined ratio, the MPU 201 may control the pachinko machine 10 to make a first predetermined notification. In addition, in the pachinko machine 10 of the first embodiment, when the consecutive role ratio calculated by the role ratio management chip 207 is received by the MPU 201 and the consecutive role ratio is higher than a second predetermined ratio, the MPU 201 may control the pachinko machine 10 to make a second predetermined notification. Also, in the pachinko machine 10 in the second embodiment, the ratio of the reel or the ratio of consecutive reels may be calculated appropriately from the information stored in the first reading memory 263 or the second reading memory 264, and the calculated ratio may be transmitted to the MPU 201, and the MPU 201 may perform the above comparison and notification based on the ratio of the reel or the ratio of consecutive reels received from the reel ratio management chip 207. As the first predetermined notification or the second predetermined notification, the LED 37a of the first symbol display device 37 may be displayed in a predetermined color, or a predetermined number may be displayed on the seven-segment display device 37b. As the first predetermined notification or the second predetermined notification, a command may be transmitted to the voice lamp control device 113 so that a predetermined lamp is turned on or blinks in a predetermined manner, or a predetermined sound is output, or a command may be transmitted to the voice lamp control device 113 so that a predetermined symbol or character is displayed on the third symbol display device 81, and a command may be transmitted from the voice lamp control device 113 to the display control device 114 based on the command. Furthermore, as the first and second predetermined notifications, information indicating that the ratio of features is higher than the first predetermined ratio, or information indicating that the ratio of consecutive features is higher than the second predetermined ratio, may be transmitted to a hall computer installed in the hall where the pachinko machine 10 is installed via a relay board (not shown). These notifications allow the pachinko machine 10 to directly notify hall personnel of an abnormality in the ratio of features or the ratio of consecutive features of the pachinko machine 10. This makes it easy to find pachinko machines 10 in which there is a possibility of fraudulent activity. Furthermore, such notifications can lead to the prevention of fraudulent activity.

In each of the above embodiments, the reel ratio management chip 207 may determine whether the calculated reel ratio or continuous reel ratio is higher than the first predetermined ratio or the second predetermined ratio, and output the determination result to the MPU 201. Then, the MPU 201 may control the reel ratio management chip 207 to perform the first predetermined notification or the second predetermined notification based on the above determination result received from the reel ratio management chip 207. Also, the reel ratio management chip 207 itself may execute control to perform the first predetermined notification or the second predetermined notification based on the above determination result. For example, LEDs that perform these notifications may be connected to the reel ratio management chip 207, and the reel ratio management chip 207 may drive and control these LEDs when performing the first predetermined notification or the second predetermined notification. Also, the reel ratio management chip 207 may directly control the first pattern display device 37 to display the LED 37a in a predetermined color or display a predetermined number on the 7-segment display 37b. In addition, a command for making a first or second predetermined notification may be directly transmitted from the reel ratio management chip 207 to the audio lamp control device 113, and the audio lamp control device 113 may control the lighting or blinking of a predetermined lamp, the output of a predetermined sound, or the display of a predetermined display on the third symbol display device 81 based on the command. In addition, the reel ratio management chip 207 may directly transmit information indicating that the reel ratio is higher than the first predetermined ratio, or information indicating that the consecutive reel ratio is higher than the second predetermined ratio, to the hall computer. This also allows the pachinko machine 10 to directly communicate abnormalities in the reel ratio or consecutive reel ratio of the pachinko machine 10 to hall personnel. Therefore, it is easy to find a pachinko machine 10 in which there is a possibility of fraudulent activity. Furthermore, such a notification can lead to the prevention of fraudulent activity.

In the above second embodiment, when the bonus ratio management chip 207 transmits the information recorded in the second reading and writing memory 264 to the inspection device 300, the bonus ratio management chip 207 also transmits the information of the prize ball number table 202e set in the prize ball number data setting area 265a to the inspection device 300. In contrast, the bonus ratio management chip 207 may be configured to request the MPU 201 to transmit the prize ball number table 202e when the inspection device 300 outputs to the inspection terminal 207a or based on a control signal from the inspection device 300, and the bonus ratio management chip 207 may transmit the prize ball number table 202e transmitted by the MPU 201 in response to the request to the inspection device 300. Alternatively, the inspection device 300 may directly output a signal to the MPU 201 requesting the transmission of the prize ball number table 202e, and the MPU 201 may receive the request signal and transmit the prize ball number table 202e directly to the inspection device 300. Also, the pachinko machine 10 may be designed to be powered on after the inspection device 300 is connected to the inspection terminal 207a, and the prize ball count table 202e may be sent to the inspection device 300 during the start-up process executed by the MPU 201. This allows the bonus ratio management chip 207 to eliminate the need for the prize ball count data setting area 265a, thereby reducing the number of registers.

In addition, the main control device 110 may not transmit the prize ball number table 202e to the inspection device 300, and the number of prize balls for the inspection device 300 may be set by manual input. This eliminates the need for the main control device 110 to control the transmission of the prize ball number table 202e, thereby preventing the program of the MPU 201 and the program of the bonus ratio management chip 207 from becoming complicated.

In the above first embodiment, a case was described in which the prize ball count table 202e is not transmitted to the inspection device 300, but even in the pachinko machine 10 of the first embodiment, the prize ball count table 202e may be transmitted to the role ratio 300. This allows the inspection device 300 to analyze the possibility of fraudulent activity due to changes in the role ratio and consecutive role ratio while also referring to the prize ball count table 202e.

In each of the above embodiments, an output register (buffer) for temporarily storing information transmitted from the second read/write memory 264 to the inspection device 300 may be provided between the second read/write memory 264 and the inspection terminal 207a. This allows information to be easily transmitted from the second read/write memory 264 to the inspection device 300 via the output register, even if the read speed of information read from the second read/write memory 264 differs from the transmission speed for transmitting information to the role ratio management chip 207.

In the above embodiments, when it is detected that the power supply is cut off, information on the role ratio, etc. is recorded in the second reading/writing memory 264 based on the information stored in the first reading/writing memory 263. In contrast, the first reading/writing memory 263 may be configured to be able to store information even while the power supply is cut off by configuring the first reading/writing memory 263 as a non-volatile memory or supplying a backup voltage to the first reading/writing memory 263, etc., and when the power supply is supplied, information on the role ratio, etc. may be recorded in the second reading/writing memory 264 based on the information stored in the first reading/writing memory 263. This also makes it possible to calculate the role ratio and the consecutive role ratio without omission for the number of prize balls paid out before the power supply is cut off after recording in the second reading/writing memory 264. In addition, since recording in the second reading/writing memory 264 is performed when the power supply is turned on, the risk of the power supply being completely cut off in the middle of recording in the second reading/writing memory 264 can be suppressed.

In the above embodiments, when it is detected that the power supply is cut off, the information on the role ratio, etc. is automatically recorded in the second reading/writing memory 264 based on the information stored in the first reading/writing memory 263 under the control of the CPU 261. In contrast, the trigger information data 202f may be set to "power off" or "power supply" as the timing (trigger) for recording the information on the role ratio, etc. in the second reading/writing memory 264 based on the information stored in the first reading/writing memory 263. If the trigger information data 202f set in the trigger setting area 265b is "power off", when it is detected that the power supply is cut off, the information on the role ratio, etc. is recorded in the second reading/writing memory 264 based on the information stored in the first reading/writing memory 263, and if the trigger information data 202f set in the trigger setting area 265b is "power supply", when the power supply is supplied, the information on the role ratio, etc. may be recorded in the second reading/writing memory 264 based on the information stored in the first reading/writing memory 263. This allows information about the ratio of roles and the like based on the information stored in the first reading/writing memory 263 to be recorded in the second reading/writing memory 264 when the power is cut off or when the power is supplied, depending on the setting of the ROM 202f in the MPU 201. Note that if "power supply" can be specified as the trigger information data 202f, the first reading/writing memory 263 can be configured as a non-volatile memory or a backup voltage can be supplied to the first reading/writing memory 263, so that the first reading/writing memory 263 can be configured to store information even when the power is cut off.

In each of the above embodiments, a case has been described in which the trigger information data 202f specifies information indicating any one of "number of shots", "time", and "play time" as the timing (trigger) for recording information regarding the role ratio, etc., in the second reading/writing memory 264 based on the information stored in the first reading/writing memory 263. In contrast, the trigger information data 202f may be able to specify "power supply time". When information indicating "power supply time" is specified in the trigger information data 202f, information indicating a "predetermined time" that is the timing for recording information regarding the role ratio, etc., in the second reading/writing memory 264 may also be specified. For example, in the case where the trigger information data 202f specifies information indicating "power supply time" and information indicating four hours as the "predetermined time", the role ratio management chip 207 may obtain the time indicated by the RTC 266 at the stage of setting the trigger information data 202f in the trigger setting area 265b, store the obtained time in memory as the "power supply time measurement start time", and then determine whether four hours have passed since the power was supplied from the difference between the time indicated by the RTC 266 and the "power supply time measurement start time". If four hours have passed, the role ratio management chip 207 may record information regarding the role ratio, etc. in the second reading/writing memory 264 based on the information stored in the first reading/writing memory 263. Then, the time when the recording is performed may be obtained from the RTC 266, and the time may be stored in memory as a new "power supply time measurement start time", and then determine whether another four hours have passed from the difference between the time indicated by the RTC 266 and the "power supply time measurement start time". By defining the trigger (timing) for calculating the feature ratio by the power supply time, the feature ratio and consecutive feature ratio can be reliably calculated when the power supply time has elapsed for a predetermined period of time, even in a situation where the pachinko machine 10 is not played much. Therefore, the reliably calculated feature ratio and consecutive feature ratio can be used by the inspection device 300 to reliably analyze whether or not there is any fraudulent activity.

In the above second embodiment, the information recorded in the winning counter data 264e of the second reading and writing memory 264, which indicates the total number of winning balls at each winning port for each timing (trigger) indicated by the trigger information data 202f, is sent to the inspection device 300 together with the winning ball number table 202e. In contrast, when sending information indicating the total number of winning balls at each winning port for each timing (trigger) indicated by the trigger information data 202f to the inspection device 300, the role ratio and consecutive role ratio at each timing may be calculated based on the information for each timing, and the calculated role ratio and consecutive role ratio may also be sent to the inspection device 300. Alternatively, when transmitting to the inspection device 300, instead of the information indicating the total number of winning balls at each winning port stored in the second reading and writing memory 264, the ratio of the role and the ratio of consecutive roles may be calculated based on that information, and the calculated ratio of the role and the ratio of consecutive roles may be transmitted to the inspection device 300. This eliminates the need to calculate the ratio of the role and the ratio of consecutive roles in the inspection device 300, making it easier to analyze by the inspection device 300. In addition, when calculating the ratio of the role and the ratio of consecutive roles in the inspection device 300, there is a risk that the ratio of the role and the ratio of consecutive roles may be calculated based on a prize ball number table that is set illegally or erroneously. However, if the ratio of the role and the ratio of consecutive roles is calculated in the role ratio management chip 207, there is no risk of the prize ball number table 202e being illegally tampered with by using the prize ball number table 202e of the prize ball number data setting rear 265a set by the start-up process executed by the MPU 201 when the power is turned on, and the ratio of the role and the ratio of consecutive roles can be accurately calculated.

In addition, not limited to the second embodiment, when information indicating the role ratio or the continuous role ratio is not stored in the second reading/writing memory 264, and information necessary for calculating at least one of them is stored in the second reading/writing memory 264, when transmitting to the inspection device 300, the CPU 261 may calculate the role ratio and the continuous role ratio from the information stored in the second reading/writing memory 264, and output the calculated role ratio and the continuous role ratio to the inspection device 300 together with or instead of the information stored in the second reading/writing memory 264. This eliminates the need for the inspection device 300 to calculate the role ratio and the continuous role ratio, making it easier to perform analysis by the inspection device 300. In addition, when the inspection device 300 calculates the ratio of the role and the ratio of the consecutive role, there is a risk that the ratio of the role and the ratio of the consecutive role may be calculated based on the prize ball number table that is set illegally or erroneously, but if the ratio of the role and the ratio of the consecutive role are calculated in the role ratio management chip 207, there is no risk that the prize ball number table 202e is illegally tampered with by using the prize ball number table 202e of the prize ball number data setting rear 265a set by the start-up process executed by the MPU 201 when the power is turned on, and the ratio of the role and the ratio of the consecutive role can be calculated accurately. In addition, if the calculated ratio of the role and the ratio of the consecutive role are output to the inspection device 300 together with the information stored in the second reading memory 264, when the inspection device 300 judges that there is something suspicious about the ratio of the role and the ratio of the consecutive role, the cause can be found based on the information stored in the second reading memory 264. In addition, the inspection device 300 calculates the role ratio and consecutive role ratio from the information stored in the second reading and writing memory 264, and by determining whether or not they match the role ratio and consecutive role ratio output from the role ratio management chip 207, it is possible to determine whether any fraudulent activity is occurring.

In each of the above embodiments, an out switch 208f is provided to detect balls guided into the ball discharge path, and the number of balls launched into the play area is counted by counting the number of times the balls are detected by the out switch 208f. However, various methods may be used to count the number of balls launched into the play area. For example, an outlet switch may be provided to detect balls that have passed through outlet 66, and the number of balls launched into the game area may be calculated by adding up the number of balls that have passed through outlet 66 detected by the outlet switch, the number of balls that have passed through first winning port 64a detected by first starting port switch 208a, the number of balls that have passed through second winning port 64b detected by second starting port switch 208b, the number of balls that have passed through first normal winning port 63a detected by first normal winning port switch 208c, the number of balls that have passed through second normal winning port 63b detected by second normal winning port switch 208d, and the number of balls that have passed through large winning port 65a detected by large winning port switch 208e. Alternatively, a supplied ball detection switch for detecting balls supplied to the ball launching unit 112a and a foul ball detection switch for detecting balls launched by the ball launching unit 112a and discharged from the ball guide passage as foul balls without reaching the play area may be provided, and the number of balls launched into the play area may be counted by a counter that counts up by one each time a ball is detected by the supplied ball detection switch and counts down by one each time a ball is detected by the foul ball detection switch. Alternatively, instead of the supplied ball detection switch, a launched ball detection switch for detecting balls launched by the ball launching unit 112a may be provided, and the number of balls launched into the play area may be counted by a counter that counts up by one each time a ball is detected by the launched ball detection switch and counts down by one each time a ball is detected by the foul ball detection switch. In addition, a game ball detection switch may be provided on the return ball prevention member 68 provided at the tip of the inner rail 61, and the game ball detection switch may detect a ball guided from the ball guide passage to the game area. A counter may be provided that counts up by one each time a ball is detected by the game ball detection switch, thereby counting the balls launched into the game area.

In each of the above embodiments, a CPU 261 is provided in the reel ratio management chip 207, and information relating to reel ratios and consecutive reel ratios is recorded in the second read/write memory 264 based on software executed by the CPU 261, and transmitted to the inspection device 300. In contrast, some or all of the functions of the reel ratio management chip 207 may be configured using wired logic. By configuring using wired logic, information relating to reel ratios can be managed at high speed.

In each of the above embodiments, the device ratio management chip 207 is provided in the main control device 110, and the device ratio management chip 207 records information about the device ratio and transmits it to the inspection device 300. In contrast, a non-volatile memory may be connected to the MPU 201, and the MPU 201 may record information about the device ratio in the non-volatile memory, and the MPU 201 may control the information recorded in the non-volatile memory to be transmitted to the inspection device 300. This allows the MPU 201 to use the information about the winning balls in each winning hole detected by the MPU 201 and the balls guided to the ball discharge path itself to manage information about the device ratio without transferring it to another chip, making it less susceptible to noise and allowing for more accurate management of information about the device ratio.

Also, the reel ratio management chip 207 may be provided separately from the main control device 110, and may be configured to be connected to the main control device 110. In this case, the reel ratio management chip 110 may be stored in the same board box 100 as the main control device 110, or may be stored in a board box other than the board box 100 in which the main control device 110 is stored. When storing the reel ratio management chip 207 in a board box other than the main control device 110, the reel ratio management chip 207 may be stored in a board box dedicated to the reel ratio management chip 207, or may be stored in any of the board boxes 101 to 104 in which other control devices, etc. are stored.

The bonus feature ratio management chip 207 may be connected to the payout control device 111, or the bonus feature ratio management chip 207 may be provided in the payout control device 111. The bonus feature ratio management chip 207 may record information about the bonus feature ratio based on a signal from the payout control device 111 and transmit it to the inspection device 300. In this case, information about winning for each winning slot (for example, information indicating the number of winning balls for each winning slot within a specified time (for example, 0.5 seconds)) may be transmitted from the main control device 110 to the payout control device 111, and the information may be stored in the buffer 262 of the bonus feature ratio management chip 207. In addition, the prize ball command sent from the main control device 110 to the payout control device 111 includes information indicating which winning port the prize ball is associated with, together with the number of prize balls (the number of balls to be paid out), and based on the prize ball command, the number of prize balls indicated by the prize ball command is set in the buffer 262 in an area corresponding to the winning port where the prize was won, and the number of prize balls set in the buffer 262 is added to the counter of the corresponding winning port provided in the first reading and writing memory 263, so that the counter counts the number of balls paid out for each winning port due to the winning of the corresponding winning port. Furthermore, instead of the bonus ratio management chip 207, the MPU 211 of the payout control device 111 may realize the function of the bonus ratio management chip 207. With these, information regarding the bonus ratio can be recorded in the bonus ratio management chip 207 or the payout control device 111 and transmitted to the inspection device 300. In these cases, when the power is turned on in the main control device 110, the start-up process executed by the MPU 201 may send information in the prize ball count table 202e and information in the trigger information data 202f by command from the main control device 110 to the payout control device 111. This allows the payout control device 111 to manage the ratio of prize balls and the like using this information stored in the RAM 202 of the main control device 110.

In addition, the reel ratio management chip 207 may be connected to the sound lamp control device 113, or the reel ratio management chip 207 may be provided in the sound lamp control device 113. The reel ratio management chip 207 may record information about the reel ratio based on a signal from the sound lamp control device 113 and transmit it to the inspection device 300. In this case, information about winning for each winning slot (for example, information indicating the number of winning balls for each winning slot during a predetermined time (for example, 0.5 seconds)) may be transmitted from the main control device 110 to the sound lamp control device 113, and the information may be stored in the buffer 262 of the reel ratio management chip 207. Furthermore, instead of the reel ratio management chip 207, the MPU 213 of the sound lamp control device 113 may realize the function of the reel ratio management chip 207. With these, information about the reel ratio can be recorded in the reel ratio management chip 207 or the sound lamp control device 113 and transmitted to the inspection device 300. In addition, by managing the role ratio with the role ratio management chip 207 or the sound lamp control device 113, a command may be sent to the display control device 114 to display the calculated role ratio, consecutive role ratio, etc. on the third pattern display device 81. By displaying on the third pattern display device 81, hall personnel can easily find a pachinko game machine 10 with an abnormal role ratio or consecutive role ratio, and it is possible to suppress a fraudster from committing an illegal act. In addition, when the role ratio or consecutive role ratio calculated by the role ratio management chip 207 or the sound lamp control device 113 is in a predetermined state (for example, a state where fraud is suspected), the sound lamp control device 113 may control the sound output device 226 to output a predetermined notification sound, or the lamp display device 227 to light up or blink in a predetermined manner, or a command may be sent to the display control device 114 to display a predetermined display on the third pattern display device 81. This allows hall personnel to easily discover pachinko gaming machines 10 suspected of fraudulent activity, and also prevents fraudsters from committing fraudulent acts. In these cases, when the power is turned on in the main control device 110, the start-up process executed by the MPU 201 may send information in the number of winning balls table 202e and information in the trigger information data 202f by command from the main control device 110 to the sound and lamp control device 113. This allows the sound and lamp control device 113 to manage the ratio of bonus items and the like, using this information stored in the RAM 202 of the main control device 110.

In addition, the reel ratio management chip 207 may be connected to the display control device 114, or the reel ratio management chip 207 may be provided in the display control device 114. The reel ratio management chip 207 may record information about the reel ratio based on a signal from the display control device 114 and transmit it to the inspection device 300. In this case, information about winning for each winning slot (for example, information indicating the number of winning balls for each winning slot during a predetermined time (for example, 0.5 seconds)) may be transmitted from the main control device 110 to the display control device 114 via the voice lamp control device 113, and the information may be stored in the buffer 262 of the reel ratio management chip 207. Furthermore, instead of the reel ratio management chip 207, the MPU 214 of the display control device 114 may realize the function of the reel ratio management chip 207. With these, information about the reel ratio can be recorded in the reel ratio management chip 207 or the display control device 114 and transmitted to the inspection device 300. In addition, the display control device 114 may control the third symbol display device 81 to display the calculated symbol ratio, consecutive symbol ratio, etc., by managing the symbol ratio with the symbol ratio management chip 207 or the display control device 114. By displaying the symbol ratio on the third symbol display device 81, the hall staff can easily find a pachinko game machine 10 with a strange symbol ratio or consecutive symbol ratio, and can suppress a fraudster from committing an illegal act. In addition, when the symbol ratio or consecutive symbol ratio calculated by the symbol ratio management chip 207 or the display control device 114 is in a predetermined state (for example, a state in which fraud is suspected), the display control device 114 may control the third symbol display device 81 to display a predetermined display. This allows the hall staff to easily find a pachinko game machine 10 suspected of fraud, and can suppress a fraudster from committing an illegal act. In these cases, when the power is turned on in the main control device 110, the start-up process executed by the MPU 201 may send information in the prize ball count table 202e and information in the trigger information data 202f by command from the main control device 110 to the display control device 114 via the voice lamp control device 113. This allows the display control device 114 to manage the ratio of prize balls and the like using this information stored in the RAM 202 of the main control device 110.

In each of the above embodiments, a display device having multiple 7-segment displays may be provided on a board on which the main control device 110 is provided, or on a board connected to the reel ratio management chip 207, or on which the reel ratio management chip 207 is mounted, or on which a control device that realizes the functions of the reel ratio management chip 207 is provided, and the reel ratio, continuous reel ratio, or information related to the reel ratio and continuous reel ratio may be displayed on the display device. Instead of a 7-segment display, the display device may be configured with a liquid crystal display with a predetermined number of pixels, an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) display, or the like. The display device may be provided on the board on which the main control device 110 is provided, or on a board connected to the feature ratio management chip 207, or on which the feature ratio management chip 207 is mounted, or on which a control device that realizes the functions of the feature ratio management chip 207 is mounted, but may be provided on the board on which the main control device 110 is provided, or on which the feature ratio management chip 207 is connected, or on which the feature ratio management chip 207 is mounted, or on which a control device that realizes the functions of the feature ratio management chip 207 is mounted. The display device may be assembled so that the display screen of the display device can be seen when looking at the rear side of the pachinko machine 10, or so that the display screen of the display device can be seen from the front side of the pachinko machine 10.

The information on the ratio of the reels and the ratio of consecutive reels displayed on the display device may be, for example, information showing the total number of balls paid out as a result of winning for each winning port, or information showing the total number of balls paid out as a result of winning in all winning ports, the total number of balls paid out as a result of winning in winning ports where the reels are activated (in this embodiment, the second start port 64b and the large winning port 65a), and the total number of balls paid out as a result of winning in winning ports where the reels are activated continuously (in this embodiment, the large winning port 65a). Information showing the total number of balls (number of shot balls) fired into the play area may also be included in the information on the ratio of the reels and the ratio of consecutive reels displayed on the display device. The display device may be configured with a liquid crystal display with a predetermined number of pixels, an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) display, or the like, instead of a 7-segment display, and the ratio of the reels and the ratio of consecutive reels, or information related to the ratio of the reels and the ratio of consecutive reels may be displayed on the display device.

The role ratio, consecutive role ratio, and information related to the role ratio and consecutive role ratio displayed on the display device may be the information recorded in the second reading memory 264 at the timing (trigger) when the most recent recording was made in the second reading memory 264, or information generated from that information. Also, at the timing (trigger) when recording was made in a plurality of second reading memories 264, including the most recent, the information recorded in the second reading memory 264 itself, or information generated from the information recorded in the second reading memory 264 for each timing, may be displayed on the display device as the role ratio, consecutive role ratio, and information related to the role ratio and consecutive role ratio. Also, at the timing (trigger) when recording was made in a plurality of second reading memories 264, including the most recent, the average value of the role ratio, consecutive role ratio, and information related to the role ratio and consecutive role ratio may be taken from the information recorded in the second reading memory 264, or the information of all timings (triggers) recorded in the second reading memory 264, and the average value may be displayed on the display device. Furthermore, not only the information recorded in the second reading memory 264 but also the information stored in the first reading memory 264 may be reflected to generate the role ratio, consecutive role ratio, and information related to the role ratio and consecutive role ratio, and the information may be displayed on the display device.

By this, by looking at the display device, it is possible to judge the possibility of fraudulent activity from the role ratio, consecutive role ratio, and information related to the role ratio and consecutive role ratio. The display device may display the role ratio, consecutive role, and information related to the role ratio and consecutive role ratio simultaneously, or may display them one by one. The role ratio, consecutive role ratio, and information related to the role ratio and consecutive role ratio may be displayed alternately at predetermined time intervals. When displaying alternately, information indicating what is being displayed may be displayed together. In addition, when the role ratio or consecutive role ratio displayed on the display device exceeds a predetermined ratio (for example, when the role ratio exceeds 70% or the consecutive role ratio exceeds 60%), the displayed role ratio or consecutive role ratio may be displayed in a color different from normal or flashing. The display device may display the role ratio, the consecutive role ratio, and information related to the role ratio and the consecutive role ratio only for a predetermined period of time after the power supply to the pachinko machine 10 is turned on (for example, it may be a predetermined period of time such as 30 seconds, or it may be a period until a predetermined process is completed, such as a period until the start-up process is completed by the MPU 201 of the main control device 110). This allows the hall staff to easily check whether or not any kind of fraud has occurred by checking the role ratio, the consecutive role ratio, and information related to the role ratio and the consecutive role ratio displayed on the display device when the power supply to the pachinko machine 10 is turned on. The display device may also display the role ratio, the consecutive role ratio, and information related to the role ratio and the consecutive role ratio when it is determined that the power supply to the pachinko machine 10 has been turned off. This allows the hall staff to easily check whether or not any kind of fraud has occurred by checking the role ratio, the consecutive role ratio, and information related to the role ratio and the consecutive role ratio displayed on the display device when the power supply to the pachinko machine 10 is turned off. In addition, when it is determined that the power supply of the pachinko machine 10 has been cut off, the display of the role ratio, consecutive role ratio, and information related to the role ratio and consecutive role ratio on the display device may be limited to a predetermined period (for example, it may be a predetermined period such as 10 seconds, or it may be a period until a predetermined process is completed, such as the period until the MPU 201 of the main control device 110 finishes the process related to the power supply cut (for example, until the process of S705 is completed)). In addition, when it is determined that the power supply of the pachinko machine 10 has been cut off, the display of the role ratio, consecutive role ratio, and information related to the role ratio and consecutive role ratio on the display device may be performed using power from a backup power source, a secondary battery, a large-capacity capacitor, etc. In addition, the display device may be stored in a board box. This makes it possible to prevent acts such as displaying incorrect values on the display device.

In addition, the display device may be provided with a button for displaying the role ratio, consecutive role ratio, or information related to the role ratio and consecutive role ratio, and when the button is operated, the display device may display the role ratio, consecutive role ratio, or information related to the role ratio and consecutive role ratio. In this way, only when the role ratio or consecutive role ratio has been confirmed, the display device may be displayed by operating the button, so that the wasteful consumption of power in the display device can be suppressed. In addition, the button operation may be effective only when the game is not being played in the pachinko game machine 10, and the display device may display the role ratio, consecutive role ratio, or information related to the role ratio and consecutive role ratio. The pachinko game machine 10 may determine that a game is not being played when, for example, the out switch 208f has not detected a ball guided to the ball discharge path for a predetermined period of time or more, when the operating handle 51 has not been rotated, when the ball launch unit 112a has not launched a ball, or when a ball guided to the play area has not been detected. This can prevent cheaters from trying to commit some kind of fraud by looking at the role ratios and the like displayed on the display device while playing the game.

The operation of the button may be made valid only when it is operated in combination with another button. This makes it possible to prevent a fraudulent person who does not know the valid button operation combination from easily displaying the role ratio, consecutive role ratio, and information related to the role ratio and consecutive role ratio on the display device. Also, the role ratio, consecutive role ratio, and information related to the role ratio and consecutive role ratio may be displayed on the display device only when the power is turned on to the pachinko machine 10 while operating a button for displaying the role ratio, consecutive role ratio, and information related to the role ratio and consecutive role ratio on the display device. This allows a person related to the hall to easily check whether any fraudulent activity occurred during business hours on the previous day or outside business hours at night by operating the button at the same time when turning on the power to the pachinko machine 10 and checking the role ratio, consecutive role ratio, and information related to the role ratio and consecutive role ratio displayed on the display device. Also, the display device may display the role ratio, consecutive role ratio, and information related to the role ratio and consecutive role ratio only when the power supply to the pachinko machine 10 is turned off while operating a button for displaying the role ratio, consecutive role ratio, and information related to the role ratio and consecutive role ratio on the display device. In this way, when the power supply to the pachinko machine 10 is turned off by a person in charge of the hall, the person in charge of the hall can easily check whether or not any fraudulent activity has occurred before or during business hours of the day by operating the button and checking the role ratio, consecutive role ratio, and information related to the role ratio and consecutive role ratio displayed on the display device. The display device may end the display device displaying the role ratio, consecutive role ratio, and information related to the role ratio and consecutive role ratio by operating the button after a predetermined period of time has elapsed, or when the button is operated again. Also, the display device may display the role ratio, consecutive role ratio, and information related to the role ratio and consecutive role ratio only while the button is being operated continuously.

In addition, when the button is operated and the display device displays the role ratio, consecutive role ratio, or information related to the role ratio and consecutive role ratio, the game mode of the pachinko game machine 10 may be set to check mode, and the main control of the game in the main control device 110 may be temporarily stopped. This prevents the role ratio, consecutive role ratio, or information related to the role ratio and consecutive role ratio displayed on the display device from changing as the game progresses, making it difficult to check the role ratio, etc. In this case, the main control device 110 may send a command to the audio lamp control device 113 (and the display control device 114) to notify the transition to check mode at the stage of setting the game mode of the pachinko game machine 10 to check mode and temporarily stopping the main control of the game. Then, when the voice lamp control device 113 and the display control device 114 receive a command notifying the transition to the check mode, they may control the third symbol display device 81 to display a predetermined image (e.g., a black screen) corresponding to the check mode, to keep the ongoing variable performance varying at high speed during the check mode period, to make the sound output from the sound output device 226 a predetermined sound corresponding to the check mode, or to output a sound corresponding to the high speed variation. This allows the player to be informed that the pachinko game machine 10 has entered the check mode. In addition, the main control device 110 may transmit a command to the voice lamp control device 113 (and the display control device 114) notifying the check mode that the check mode is being released at the stage of releasing the check mode as the game mode of the pachinko game machine 10 and resuming the main control of the game. This allows the voice lamp control device 113 and the display control device 114 to return the image displayed on the third symbol display device 81 and the sound output from the sound output device 226 to those before the transition to the check mode.

The modified examples described so far have been described as cases in which, when a button is operated, the reel ratio, consecutive reel ratio, or information related to the reel ratio and consecutive reel ratio is displayed on a display device provided on a board such as the main control device 110. However, in addition to this, or instead of this, when a button is operated, information related to the reel ratio and consecutive reel ratio may be displayed on the first pattern display device 37, the third pattern display device 81, the lamp display device 227, etc., or some kind of notification sound related to the reel ratio and consecutive reel ratio may be output from the audio output device 226. In this case, too, the modified examples described above may be applied as appropriate in relation to button operation.

In addition, in each of the above embodiments, a case has been described in which information related to the role ratio is transmitted to the inspection device 300 when the inspection device 300 is connected to the inspection terminal 207a. However, instead of this, information related to the role ratio may be transmitted to the inspection device 300 when the button operation described above is performed. In this case, too, the above-mentioned modified examples may be applied as appropriate in relation to the button operation.

In the above embodiments, the case where the information managed by the reel ratio management chip 206 is transmitted to the inspection device 300 has been described, but if some kind of notification is made based on the information managed by this reel ratio management chip 206, such as by displaying the reel ratio or consecutive reel ratio on a display device provided on a board of the main control device 110, displaying information on the reel ratio or consecutive reel ratio on the first pattern display device 37, the third pattern display device 81, the lamp display device 227, etc., or outputting some kind of notification sound related to the reel ratio or consecutive reel ratio from the audio output device 226, transmission to the inspection device 300 is not necessarily performed.

In the above embodiments, a large-capacity capacitor 267 or secondary battery is connected to the reel ratio management chip 207, and when the power supply to the main control device 110 is stopped due to a power outage or the like, the reel ratio management chip 207 uses the power charged in the capacitor 267 to execute processing associated with the power cut. In contrast, instead of the capacitor 267 or secondary battery, a backup voltage may be supplied from the power supply circuit 115 to the reel ratio management chip 207. This allows the information stored in the first reading/writing memory 263 to be retained even while the power is cut off. In addition, if a fraudster attempts to set fraudulent information in the buffer 207 during late-night hours, the after-hours information can be stored in the after-hours data 263j of the first reading/writing memory 263, and then the after-hours information can be recorded in the game status data 264d of the second reading/writing memory 264 at a predetermined timing.

In the above embodiment, when the MPU 201 determines whether the interrupt signal after the buffer 262 is set is sent during the late night time period by the process of S724 (see FIG. 19), the case where the time indicated by the RTC 266 is determined to be between midnight and 6:00 a.m. may be described. The threshold value of the time used to determine the late night time period may be set by the MPU 201. For example, the late night time period determination time data that specifies the threshold value of the time may be stored in the ROM 202 of the MPU 201, and the late night time period determination time data stored in the ROM 202 may be set in the late night time period determination time setting area provided in the setting register 265 together with the prize ball number table 202e and the trigger information data 202f during the start-up process executed by the MPU 201 when the power is supplied. Then, in the process of S724, it may be determined whether the MPU 201 sent the interrupt signal after the buffer 262 is set during the time period indicated by the late night time period determination time data. This allows the determination of late night hours to be variably set by ROM 202.

In each of the above embodiments, when power is applied to the feature ratio management chip 207, the power-on information may be stored in the first read/write memory 263 together with the time indicated by the RTC 266 at that time, and the power-on information may be recorded in the game status data 264d of the second read/write memory 264 at a predetermined timing together with the time. Also, when power is applied to the feature ratio management chip 207, the power-on information may be directly recorded in the game status data 264d together with the time indicated by the RTC 266 at that time. As a result, information regarding the time when the power was applied is also transmitted to the inspection device 300. Therefore, if there is a possibility of fraudulent activity due to changes in the feature ratio and the consecutive feature ratio, the cause can be investigated from multiple perspectives, including the time when the power was applied.

In addition, in each of the above embodiments, when the power supply to the role ratio management chip 207 is cut off, the power supply cut information may be stored in the first read/write memory 263 together with the time indicated by the RTC 266 at that time, and the power supply cut information may be recorded in the game status data 264d of the second read/write memory 264 together with the time at a predetermined timing. In this case, the first read/write memory 263 may be configured as a non-volatile memory or may be supplied with a backup voltage. In addition, when the power supply to the role ratio management chip 207 is cut off, the power supply cut information may be recorded directly in the game status data 264d together with the time indicated by the RTC 266 at that time. In this case, the first read/write memory 263 does not necessarily have to be configured as a non-volatile memory or to be supplied with a backup voltage. As a result, information regarding the time when the power supply was cut off is also transmitted to the inspection device 300. Therefore, when there is a possibility of fraudulent activity due to changes in the role ratio and the consecutive role ratio, the cause can be investigated from multiple perspectives, including the time when the power supply was cut off.

In the above embodiment, when the power supplied to the main control device 110 is cut off and the processing of S704 to S707 is executed in the main processing of the MPU 201 (see FIG. 17), after the processing of S704 is executed and before the processing of S705 is executed, the same processing as the processing of S155 and S156 shown in FIG. 11 may be executed. That is, in the processing when the power is cut off, after the occurrence of the interrupt processing is prohibited (S704), the values of the start 1 counter 203d, start 2 counter 203e, normal 1 counter 203f, normal 2 counter 203g, and large prize opening counter 203h in the RAM 203 may be set as winning information, and the value of the out counter 203i may be set as out information in the role ratio management chip 207a in accordance with the game state of the pachinko machine 10 at that time, and an interrupt signal may be sent to the role ratio management chip 207. This allows the number of balls that entered each winning slot and the balls that were guided to the ball discharge path just before the power was turned off, but that have not been counted in the bonus ratio management chip 207, to be counted by the bonus ratio management chip 207 before the power is turned off. Therefore, the number of balls that entered each winning slot and the balls that were guided to the ball discharge path just before the power was turned off can be recorded without omission by the bonus ratio management chip 207.

In the above embodiments, when the trigger (timing) for calculating the ratio of the game features indicated by the trigger information data 202f is "play time", the game time is calculated by counting the time when the ball guided to the ball discharge path by the out switch 208f is detected, but this is not necessarily limited to this. For example, an out switch that detects the ball passing through the out port 66 may be provided, and when the ball passing through each winning port or out port is detected by any of the out switch, the first start port switch 208a, the second start port switch 208b, the first normal winning port switch 208c, the second normal winning port switch 208d, and the large winning port switch 208e, the game time may be calculated by counting the detected time. The game time may be calculated by accumulating the time during which the player is determined to be touching the launch handle 51 based on the output of the touch sensor 51a provided on the launch handle 51, or by accumulating the time during which the launch handle 51 is rotated by the player, or by accumulating the time during which the player is touching the launch handle 51 and rotating the launch handle 51. The game time may also be calculated by accumulating the time during which the ball launch unit 112a is driven by the launch control device 112 and the ball is launched. The game time may also be calculated by providing a game ball detection switch on the return ball prevention member 68 provided at the tip of the inner rail 61, and counting the time during which the game ball detection switch continues to detect the ball guided from the ball guide passage to the game area.

In each of the above embodiments, the jackpot probability and/or the probability of winning the second symbol are preset in the main control device 110 and cannot be changed by hall personnel or the like, but instead, the jackpot probability and/or the probability of winning the second symbol may be configured to be changeable in multiple stages (e.g., six stages) by hall personnel or the like. This allows the hall to vary the jackpot probability and/or the probability of winning the second symbol for each pachinko machine of the same model, giving players the fun of selecting a machine.

The jackpot probability and/or the winning probability of the second symbol may be changed, for example, as follows. First, for each of the multiple stages (hereinafter described as six stages (levels 1 to 6)) in which the jackpot probability and/or the winning probability of the second symbol can be changed, the jackpot random number value and/or the winning random number value of the second symbol for the corresponding level (stage) are stored in advance in ROM 202. The jackpot random number value and/or the winning random number value of the second symbol determined for each level determines the jackpot probability and/or the winning probability of the second symbol for that level.

A keyhole is provided on the main board provided on the rear side of the pachinko machine 10 for changing the jackpot probability and/or the probability of hitting the second symbol. The keyhole is usually covered by the rear pack 92 of the rear pack unit 94, and appears when the rear pack 92 is opened. However, an opening for the keyhole may be provided in the rear pack 92 so that the keyhole is exposed from the opening. The keyhole is configured to be rotatable between two positions, the "probability setting off" side and the "probability setting on" side, by a dedicated key, and when it is on the "probability setting off" side, the dedicated key can be inserted and removed from the keyhole. When the keyhole is set to the "probability setting on" position by the dedicated key, the pachinko machine 10 can change the jackpot probability and/or the probability of hitting the second symbol. In addition, when the keyhole is rotated from the "probability setting off" position to the "probability setting on" position by a dedicated key while the power of the pachinko machine 10 is off, and when the power of the pachinko machine 10 is turned on, the pachinko machine 10 may be configured to start in a probability setting mode in which the jackpot probability and/or the winning probability of the second symbol can be changed. This allows the jackpot probability and/or the winning probability of the second symbol to be safely changed in accordance with the start-up of the pachinko machine 10 in the hall. Also, when the keyhole is rotated from the "probability setting off" position to the "probability setting on" position by a dedicated key while the power of the pachinko machine 10 is on, it may be configured so that the jackpot probability and/or the winning probability of the second symbol cannot be changed. This makes it possible to prevent a fraudulent person from fraudulently changing the jackpot probability and/or the winning probability of the second symbol during business hours.

In the pachinko machine 10, a push-type probability setting button for changing the jackpot probability and/or the hit probability of the second symbol is provided on the main board. This probability setting button is usually covered by the back pack 92 of the back pack unit 94, like a keyhole, and appears when the back pack 92 is opened. However, an opening for the probability setting button may be provided in the back pack 92, and the probability setting button may be exposed from the opening. When the pachinko machine 10 is in the probability setting mode, the level (stage) of the jackpot probability and/or the hit probability of the second symbol up to that point is displayed, for example, on a display device provided on the main board. Then, when the probability setting button is pressed, the level of the jackpot probability and/or the hit probability of the second symbol increases by one, and this level is displayed on the display device. Also, if the level before the probability setting button is pressed is "6", when the probability setting button is pressed, the level "1" is displayed on the display device. When the pachinko machine 10 enters the probability setting mode, the level displayed on the display device may be a predetermined level (e.g., level "1") instead of the previous level of the jackpot probability and/or the winning probability of the second symbol.

When the display device displays the desired level of the jackpot probability and/or the hit probability of the second symbol, pressing the RAM clear switch 122 sets the jackpot value or the hit value of the second symbol at the level displayed on the display device, and the pachinko machine 10 is started. This allows the pachinko machine 10 to operate with the set level of the jackpot probability and/or the hit probability of the second symbol. Also, when the desired level of the jackpot probability and/or the hit probability of the second symbol is displayed, if the keyhole into which the dedicated key is inserted is rotated to the "probability setting off" position, the jackpot value or the hit value of the second symbol at the level displayed on the display device may be set, and the pachinko machine 10 may be started. This also allows the pachinko machine 10 to operate with the set level of the jackpot probability and/or the hit probability of the second symbol.

Here, if the pachinko machine 10 is provided with a display device for displaying the role ratio or consecutive role ratio, or information related to the role ratio or consecutive role ratio, when the pachinko machine 10 is started in the probability setting mode, the display device may be configured to display the level of the set jackpot probability and/or the hit probability of the second symbol. This makes it possible to reduce the increase in the number of display devices mounted on the pachinko machine 10, thereby reducing the increase in costs. Also, by using the display device for multiple purposes and reducing the increase in the number of parts, the arrangement (layout) of each part can be easily performed.

Now, in the case where the pachinko machine 10 is configured so that the jackpot probability and/or the probability of hitting the second symbol can be changed, the ratio of the reel and the ratio of consecutive reels will naturally change in response to the change. Therefore, there is a risk that it will become unclear whether the change in the ratio of the reel and the ratio of consecutive reels managed by the reel ratio management chip 207 is due to a change in the probability of a jackpot and/or the probability of hitting the second symbol, or due to some kind of fraud.

Therefore, when the jackpot probability and/or the hit probability of the second symbol are changed, all information recorded in the second reading memory 264 and information stored in the first reading memory 263 may be erased. This can eliminate the effect of changes in the ratio of the role and the ratio of consecutive roles due to changes in the jackpot probability and/or the hit probability of the second symbol. In this case, information indicating that the jackpot probability and/or the hit probability of the second symbol have been changed may be recorded in the second reading memory 264 and output to the connected inspection device 300. This makes it possible to know at the inspection stage that the information recorded in the second reading memory 264 has been erased due to changes in the jackpot probability and/or the hit probability of the second symbol, and can be used as a reference for determining whether or not there has been any fraud. In this case, the date and time when the change was made may also be stored. In addition, the information indicating that the jackpot probability and/or the hit probability of the second symbol have been changed may include information indicating the level after the change, or may include information on the level before the change. Based on these dates, times and levels, it is possible to more reliably determine whether or not fraud has occurred.

On the other hand, even if the jackpot probability and/or the winning probability of the second symbol are changed, all the information recorded in the second reading memory 264 and the information stored in the first reading memory 263 may be kept saved. This allows an analysis of whether or not there was any fraud before the jackpot probability and/or the winning probability of the second symbol are changed. In this case, information indicating that the jackpot probability and/or the winning probability of the second symbol have been changed may be recorded in the second reading memory 264 and output to the connected inspection device 300. This makes it easy to determine whether or not the influence of the change in the ratio of the role or the ratio of consecutive roles is due to the change in the jackpot probability and/or the winning probability of the second symbol. The information indicating that the jackpot probability and/or the winning probability of the second symbol have been changed may include the date and time when the change was made. It may also include information indicating the level after the change, or may include information on the level before the change. Based on these dates and levels, the analysis of the factors behind the change in the ratio of the role or the ratio of consecutive roles can be more reliably performed.

In addition, even if the jackpot probability and/or the hit probability of the second symbol are changed, if all the information recorded in the second reading memory 264 and the information stored in the first reading memory 263 are kept saved, the display device provided for displaying the role ratio, consecutive role ratio, or information related to the role ratio and consecutive role ratio may display the role ratio, consecutive role ratio, or information related to the role ratio and consecutive role ratio based on the information recorded in the second reading memory 264 and/or the first reading memory 263 after the jackpot probability and/or the hit probability of the second symbol are changed. Therefore, the role ratio, consecutive role ratio, or information related to the role ratio and consecutive role ratio displayed on this display device can eliminate the influence of the change in the role ratio or consecutive role ratio due to the change in the jackpot probability and/or the hit probability of the second symbol, and fraudulent behavior after the change in the jackpot probability and/or the hit probability of the second symbol can be easily discovered. In this case, information indicating that the jackpot probability and/or the probability of winning the second symbol has been changed may be recorded in the second reading memory 264 together with the date and time of the change. Based on this information, the information recorded in the second reading memory 264 after the jackpot probability and/or the probability of winning the second symbol has been changed can be easily determined, and based on this, the ratio of the reel or the ratio of consecutive reels, or information related to the ratio of the reel or the ratio of consecutive reels, can be displayed.

In addition, even if the jackpot probability and/or the hit probability of the second symbol are changed, if all information recorded in the second reading memory 264 and information stored in the first reading memory 263 are kept saved, information may be recorded in the second reading memory 264 for each level (stage) of the jackpot probability and/or the hit probability of the second symbol. This makes it possible to determine the ratio of the reels and the ratio of consecutive reels when each level of the jackpot probability and/or the hit probability of the second symbol is set from the information recorded in the second reading memory 264. Therefore, it is possible to clearly switch and analyze the change in the ratio of the reels and the ratio of consecutive reels due to the change in the jackpot probability and/or the hit probability of the second symbol and the change in the ratio of the reels and the ratio of consecutive reels due to fraudulent acts.

When the jackpot probability and/or the probability of winning the second symbol is changed, only one or more pieces of information recorded in the second reading memory 264 immediately before may be saved, and the rest may be erased. Also, the information stored in the first reading memory 263 may be left saved. Also, all information recorded in the second reading memory 264 may be erased, and only the information stored in the first reading memory 263 may be saved. This makes it possible to minimize the influence of the role ratio and consecutive role ratio before the jackpot probability and/or the probability of winning the second symbol are changed on the analysis and display, while making it possible to analyze whether or not there is a possibility that fraudulent activity was performed before the jackpot probability and/or the probability of winning the second symbol are changed. In this case, information indicating that the jackpot probability and/or the probability of winning the second symbol have been changed may be recorded in the second reading memory 264, and the information may be output to the connected inspection device 300. This makes it easy to determine whether the effect of the change in the ratio of the reels or the ratio of consecutive reels is due to a change in the probability of a big win and/or the probability of the second symbol, and it is possible to know at the inspection stage that some of the information recorded in the second reading memory 264 has been erased due to a change in the probability of a big win and/or the probability of the second symbol, which can be used as a reference for determining whether or not fraud has occurred. The information indicating that the probability of a big win and/or the probability of the second symbol has been changed may also be stored together with the date and time when the change was made. It may also include information indicating the level after the change, or may include information on the level before the change. Based on these dates and levels, it is possible to more reliably analyze the factors behind the change in the ratio of the reels or the ratio of consecutive reels.

In each of the above embodiments, the information recorded in the first reading memory 263 or the second reading memory 264 cannot be erased from the outside, so that the fraudster cannot erase the evidence of the fraudulent act. On the other hand, there is also a second-hand market in the pachinko machine market, and it is often the case that a machine is sold from one store to another store and installed in the other store. In this case, even if a fraudulent act was committed in the previous store and the ratio of the role was changed, if the information remains in the first reading memory 263 or the second reading memory 264, there is a risk that suspicions will arise that a fraudulent act was committed in the current other store. Therefore, in preparation for such a case, when a machine is sold from one store to another store, the information recorded in the first reading memory 263 or the second reading memory 264 may be erased, or the information to be resold may be recorded in the second reading memory 264. By erasing the information recorded in the first reading memory 263 or the second reading memory 264, it is possible to prevent the record of the fraudulent act committed in the previous store from being taken over by the next other store. Furthermore, if the resale information is recorded in the second reading memory 264, it is possible to clearly separate and analyze information related to the ratio of prizes at the previous store from information related to the ratio of prizes at the next store, and it is also possible to discover fraudulent activity that took place at the previous store from information related to the ratio of prizes at the previous store.

It is preferable that the erasure of information recorded in the first reading memory 263 or the second reading memory 264, or the recording of information to be resold in the second reading memory 264, be limited to a limited number of places such as the manufacturer of the pachinko machine 10. This makes it possible to prevent the easy erasure or cheating of records of fraudulent acts. In addition, the erasure of information recorded in the first reading memory 263 or the second reading memory 264, or the recording of information to be resold in the second reading memory 264 may be performed in the following manner. For example, an inspection device 300 may be connected to the inspection terminal 207a, and a program for erasing information recorded in the first reading memory 263 or the second reading memory 264 or recording information to be resold in the second reading memory 264 may be executed by inputting a dedicated command from the inspection device 300 to the role ratio management chip 207. This command may be a special command that is secret to only a limited number of people, thereby making it possible to prevent the easy erasure or cheating of records of fraudulent acts by fraudsters. Also, a hole such as a keyhole may be provided on the main board, and a program for erasing information recorded in the first reading memory 263 or the second reading memory 264 or recording information to be resold in the second reading memory 264 may be executed only when a key that fits the hole is inserted. This allows only those who have a key that fits the hole to erase information recorded in the first reading memory 263 or the second reading memory 264 or record information to be resold in the second reading memory 264, so that it is possible to prevent fraudsters from easily erasing or cheating the records of their fraudulent acts. Also, a switch may be provided in the board box 100 in which the main board is stored, and a program for erasing information recorded in the first reading memory 263 or the second reading memory 264 or recording information to be resold in the second reading memory 264 may be executed only when the switch is operated. As a result, unless the board box 100 is opened, the switch cannot be operated, and information recorded in the first read/write memory 263 or the second read/write memory 264 cannot be erased, and information to be resold cannot be recorded in the second read/write memory 264. As described above, the board box 100 has a box base and a box cover connected in an unopenable manner (connected by a crimping structure), and a seal is affixed to the connection between the box base and the box cover, covering the box base and the box cover. Therefore, since a fraudster cannot easily open the board box, it is possible to prevent a fraudster from easily erasing or cheating on the record of a fraudulent act. Furthermore, if the board box is opened and the switch is operated, evidence of the opening remains, making it easy to determine that a fraudulent act has occurred.

In the above embodiment, each command is sent from the main control device 110 to the voice lamp control device 113, and the voice lamp control device 113 instructs the display control device 114 to display, but the main control device 110 may send commands directly to the display control device 114. Also, the voice lamp control device may be connected to the display control device, and commands instructing the output of each sound and the lighting of the lamp may be sent from the display control device to the voice lamp control device. Furthermore, the voice lamp control device and the display control device may be configured as a single control device. By configuring them as a single control device, the number of parts can be reduced, and an increase in the cost of the pachinko machine can be suppressed.

In the above embodiment, in the command determination process (S911) executed by the voice lamp control device 113, the case where the fluctuation start flag is always set to ON if a stop type command is received has been described, but the fluctuation start flag may also be set to ON if a fluctuation pattern command is received and then a stop type command is received. This makes it possible to prevent strange fluctuation performances from being executed in cases where a stop type command is received without a fluctuation pattern command being received.

Also, the fluctuation start flag may be set to ON at the timing of receiving the fluctuation pattern command. In this case, in the fluctuation display process (S910) executed by the voice lamp control device 113, a display fluctuation pattern command that notifies the display control device 114 of the fluctuation pattern extracted by the fluctuation pattern command based on the fact that the fluctuation start flag is turned ON may be generated and transmitted to the display control device 114. This allows the voice lamp control device 113 to execute the fluctuation performance based on this display fluctuation pattern command for the display control device 114 without waiting for the reception of the stop type command. In this case, the voice lamp control device 113 may generate a display stop type command for notifying the display control device 114 of the stop type extracted from the stop type command at the timing of receiving the stop type command, and transmit it to the display control device 114. Then, the display control device 114 may determine the stop pattern of the fluctuation performance executed by the third pattern display device 81 based on this display stop type command.

In the above embodiment, the image controller 237 transmits a V interrupt signal to the MPU 231 at each display interval of one frame of an image at which the drawing process is completed (every 20 milliseconds in the above embodiment), but the image controller 237 may transmit this V interrupt signal to the MPU 231 each time the third pattern display device 81 is driven to display one frame of an image. The third pattern display device 81 is driven so that one frame of an image is always displayed at equal time intervals (20 millisecond intervals), so by transmitting a V interrupt signal each time one frame of an image is displayed, the time interval can be accurately maintained without having to be timed.

In the above embodiment, the demo performance may be a static display of a third pattern consisting of a main pattern without a number from "0" to "9". Also, the demo performance may be a static display of a third pattern consisting of a main pattern with a number or a main pattern without a number in a semi-transparent state. Also, the demo performance may be a display that changes only the back image without displaying the third pattern. Also, the demo performance may be a display that displays a character or a back image that is completely different from the third pattern and back image used in the variable display.

In the above embodiment, the continuous notice performance may be executed by the third symbol display device 81 where the variable performance is performed, or a fourth symbol display device separate from the third symbol display device 81 may be provided, and the fourth symbol may be displayed on the fourth symbol display device in conjunction with the variable performance executed by the third symbol display device 81 to execute the continuous notice performance. In this case, the fourth symbol display device may be controlled by the display control device 114 or the sound lamp control device 113. In addition, the continuous notice performance may be executed by providing a role that operates according to various performances in the pachinko machine 10 and operating the role in a predetermined manner in conjunction with the variable performance. In addition, the continuous notice performance may be executed by outputting a sound for the continuous notice performance from the sound output device 226 of the pachinko machine 10 under the control of the sound lamp control device 113, or the continuous notice performance may be executed by lighting or blinking the illumination parts 29 to 33 of the pachinko machine 10 in conjunction with the variable performance.

As a result, each time a variable performance is performed on the third symbol display device 81 (and the first symbol display device 37), symbols are displayed in succession on the fourth symbol display device, the role device operates in a predetermined manner, a sound is output from the audio output device 226, or the illumination units 29 to 33 light up or flash, giving the player a sense of expectation of a big win. In addition, the player normally continues playing while gazing at the third symbol display device 81 where the variable performance is performed, but the continuous advance notice performance is performed by the display of symbols by the fourth symbol display device separate from the third symbol display device 81, the operation of the role device, the audio output from the audio output device 226, or the lighting or flashing of the illumination units 29 to 33, so that the player can easily recognize that a different performance from the usual has been performed. In addition, the continuous advance notice performance can be easily performed with simple control such as the display of symbols by the fourth symbol display device, the operation of the role device, the audio output from the audio output device 226, or the lighting or flashing of the illumination units 29 to 33.

In addition, if the continuous preview performance is performed by audio output from the audio output device 226 or by lighting or blinking the illumination units 29 to 33, the control of the continuous preview performance is performed by the audio lamp control device 113, so by having the main control device 110 perform the win/lose judgment at the time of the initial winning and the lottery processing at the start of the fluctuation, having the audio lamp control device 113 perform the continuous preview performance, and having the display control device 114 perform the fluctuation performance, when the continuous preview performance is performed by the pachinko machine 10, each control device can be assigned to each process. This prevents the load from being concentrated on one control device, and the performance required for the MPU of each control device can be kept low.

The continuous preview performance may be performed by combining at least two of the following: display of the symbols for the continuous preview performance on the third symbol display device 81, display of the symbols for the continuous preview performance on the fourth symbol display device, operation of the role in a predetermined mode, audio output from the audio output device 226, and lighting or blinking of the illumination units 29 to 33, and controlling them in conjunction with each other. This allows a more diverse continuous preview performance to be performed. In addition, by changing the method of performing the continuous preview performance (display by the third symbol display device 81, display by the fourth symbol display device, operation of the role, audio output from the audio output device 226, lighting or blinking of the illumination units 29 to 33, or a combination thereof), multiple continuous preview performance modes may be prepared that are selected according to the game state after the continuous preview performance ends (15R special jackpot, 2R special jackpot, 15R normal jackpot, miss).

In addition, when a continuous preview performance is performed, an image for the continuous preview performance other than the variable performance may be displayed on the third pattern display device 81, or the continuous preview performance may be performed by displaying a combination of predetermined patterns, so-called "chance eyes", as a stop pattern to be displayed when the variable performance ends. In this case, when the command determination process (S1602 in FIG. 27(c)) executed by the MPU 221 of the display control device 113 determines that a continuous preview command has been received, the stop pattern discrimination flag corresponding to the chance eye may be turned on, and other stop pattern discrimination flags may be set to off. In the command determination process, the process corresponding to the continuous preview command is executed in the other command process after the stop identification command process, so that the chance eye is set as the stop pattern instead of the stop pattern set by the reception of the display stop identification command. Therefore, the chance eye can be displayed as a definite sign when the variable performance stops. And, if the chance eye is displayed continuously as a stop pattern for each variable performance on the third pattern display device 81, the player can have a sense of expectation that he will eventually win a jackpot.

In the above embodiment, when a winning ball is entered into the first start port 64a or the second start port 64b (start winning), the main control unit 110 sends to the voice lamp control unit 113 the reserved ball count command that notifies the voice lamp control unit 113 of the reserved ball count that has been increased by "1" including each counter C1 to C3, CS1 obtained from the counter buffer in response to the start winning. However, the type of counter included in the reserved ball count command may be a part of the counters C1 to C3, CS1, or may include the values of other counters. In addition, when the main control unit 110 notifies the voice lamp control unit 113 of the values of each counter obtained in response to the start winning, information indicating the value of each counter may not be included in the reserved ball count command, but information indicating the value of each counter may be included in a command other than the reserved ball count command and these values may be notified to the voice lamp control unit 113. The separate command may be a dedicated command for notifying the voice lamp control device 113 of the values of each counter acquired in association with the start winning, or may be a command for notifying the voice lamp control device 113 of other information, such as a change pattern command or a stop pattern command, to which the values of each counter acquired in association with the start winning are added. When notifying the voice lamp control device 113 of the values of each counter acquired in association with the start winning as a separate command, the command may include information indicating which of the pending counts the notified counter values relate to. In this way, the voice lamp control device 113 can store the values of each counter included in the command in any of the first to fourth areas of the look-ahead information corresponding to that pending count, based on the information on the pending count included in the command.

In the above embodiment, when the voice lamp control device 113 receives a reserved ball count command, it may store the values of each counter C1 to C3, CS1 indicated by the reserved ball count command in the RAM 223, or when it receives a reserved ball count command (or a command indicating the value of each counter), it may determine whether or not there is a jackpot, the type of jackpot if there is a jackpot, the type of miss if there is a miss, etc. based on the values of each counter indicated in the command, and store these determination results in the RAM 223 in place of the values of each counter indicated in the command, or together with some or all of the values of the counters.

In each of the above embodiments, a single reserved ball counter 203a is used to count the number of reserved balls in the main control unit 110, regardless of whether the ball has entered the first starting hole 64a or the second starting hole 64b. In contrast, a reserved ball counter for the first starting hole corresponding to the first starting hole 64a and a reserved ball counter for the second starting hole corresponding to the second starting hole 64b may be prepared in the RAM 203 of the main control unit 110, and the number of reserved balls resulting from a winning start in the first starting hole 64a and the number of reserved balls resulting from a winning start in the second starting hole 64b may be counted separately.

In addition, in each of the above embodiments, the maximum number of reserved balls that can be reserved is set to "4" regardless of whether the ball enters the first starting hole 64a or the second starting hole 64b. However, the maximum number of reserved balls that can be reserved following a starting entry into the first starting hole 64a and the maximum number of reserved balls that can be reserved following a starting entry into the second starting hole 64b may be determined and managed separately. For example, if the maximum number of reserved balls that can be reserved with a start winning entry into the first start hole 64a is "4", and the maximum number of reserved balls that can be reserved with a start winning entry into the second start hole 64b is "4", and at a certain point in time, the number of reserved balls with a start winning entry into the first start hole 64a is "4", and the number of reserved balls with a start winning entry into the second start hole 64b is "2", even if there are any more start winning entries into the first start hole 64a, those start winning entries will not be reserved, but if there is a start winning entry into the second start hole 64b, they may be reserved. This allows the player to recognize that the first start hole 64a and the second start hole 64b are separate, which can increase the fun of the game.

In addition, for example, the variable presentation based on a start winning entry into the second start opening 64b may be given priority over the variable presentation based on a start winning entry into the first start opening 64a. Or, the variable presentation based on a start winning entry into the first start opening 64a may be given priority over the variable presentation based on a start winning entry into the second start opening 64b. This makes it possible to draw the player's attention to the start opening where the variable presentation is given priority.

In the above embodiment, a case has been described in which two start ports, the first start port 64a and the second start port 64b, are arranged on the game board 13 as start ports through which the jackpot lottery begins when a ball enters the port, but this is not necessarily limited to this, and the number of start ports may be one, or three or more. If there are two or more start ports, a corresponding reserved ball counter may be prepared in the RAM 203 for each start port, and the number of reserved balls that are reserved in response to a winning entry into the corresponding start port may be counted for each start port. Also, a maximum number of reserved balls that can be reserved in response to a winning entry into the corresponding start port may be set for each start port.

In addition, when there are two or more starting ports, the reserved ball number command that the main control unit 110 sends to the voice lamp control unit 113 to notify that a ball has been reserved due to winning at a starting port may include information indicating which starting port the ball has been reserved due to winning at. In addition, the variation pattern command that the main control unit 110 sends to the voice lamp control unit 113 when starting a variation may also include information indicating which starting port the variation performance has been reserved at. In this way, the voice lamp control unit 113 has a reserved ball number counter prepared for each starting port, and when a reserved ball number command is received, the reserved ball number is set in the reserved ball number counter for the starting port indicated in the reserved ball number command, and when a variation pattern command is received, the reserved ball number counter for the starting port indicated in the variation pattern command is decremented by one, allowing the number of reserved balls to be counted for each starting port.

In addition, when multiple starting holes are arranged on the game board 13, the counter value acquired in association with the winning of each starting hole (start winning) may be notified to the voice lamp control device 113. In this case, the command for the main control device 110 to notify the voice lamp control device 113 of the counter value acquired in association with the starting winning may include information indicating which starting hole the value was acquired in association with the starting winning. In addition, the fluctuation pattern command sent by the main control device 110 to the voice lamp control device 113 when starting the fluctuation may also include information indicating which starting hole the fluctuation performance is associated with. Furthermore, in the RAM 223 of the voice lamp control device 113, a look-ahead information storage area may be prepared for each starting hole, and each counter value transmitted from the main control device 110 in association with the starting winning of the corresponding starting hole may be stored in the corresponding look-ahead information storage area. As a result, each time a fluctuation pattern command is received, a shift process can be performed on the look-ahead information storage area corresponding to the starting hole in which the start winning that triggered the execution of the fluctuation performance indicated by the fluctuation pattern command was detected. Therefore, the value of each counter corresponding to the variable performance on hold for each start port can also be stored in the sound lamp control device 113. Therefore, in cases where the probability of a jackpot, the allocation probability of the jackpot type, the allocation probability of the miss type, etc. differ depending on the start port where the start is won, the look-ahead process can correctly determine whether or not each variable performance will be a jackpot, the jackpot type if a jackpot, and the miss type if a miss, based on which start port the start is won. Also, in cases where a variable performance based on a start port winning is performed in priority to a variable performance based on a start port winning in another start port, the look-ahead process can be performed in order from the value of the counter corresponding to the variable performance based on a start port winning in one, and the number of pending variable performances that will be a jackpot in the near future can be correctly determined.

In addition, in the case where multiple start ports are provided, when the voice lamp control device 113 receives the values of each counter acquired based on the start winning into the start port from the main control device 110 by command, the voice lamp control device 113 may execute the continuous notice performance for all variable performances (reserved balls) reserved at that time, regardless of the start port where the start winning occurred. In addition, in a pachinko machine in which multiple start ports are provided and the variable performance for the winning into one start port is executed preferentially over the variable performance for the winning into the other start port, the start of the continuous notice performance may be determined only from the result of the pre-reading of the counter value acquired for the winning into the start port where the variable performance is executed preferentially. As a result, the presence or absence of the setting for the execution of the continuous notice performance is not determined for the variable performance corresponding to the winning into the start port with low priority, and the continuous notice performance is not started for this variable performance. If the continuous notice performance is started for the variable performance corresponding to the winning into the start port with low priority, and the variable performance is constantly reserved for the start port with high priority, there is a risk that the continuous notice performance will not end easily. In contrast, in this modified version, the setting for the execution of a continuous preview performance is not determined for a variable performance that corresponds to a win at a starting port with a low priority, and a continuous preview performance is not started for this variable performance, thereby preventing such a situation from occurring.

In the above embodiment, when the voice lamp control device 113 receives the variation pattern command transmitted from the main control device 110, the value of the reserved ball count stored in the RAM 223 is decremented by 1 (see S1107 in FIG. 26). However, this is not necessarily limited to this. For example, the variation process executed by the MPU 201 of the main control device 110 (see FIG. 13)
13), the value (N) of the reserved ball counter 203a of the main control device 110 subtracted in accordance with the setting of the variation pattern command by the variation start process (S307) (see S305 in FIG. 13) may be set to be sent from the main control device 110 to the voice lamp control device 113, and the reserved ball number command may be sent from the main control device 110 to the voice lamp control device 113 together with the transmission of the variation pattern command. This allows the voice lamp control device 113 to more accurately grasp the number of reserved balls reserved in the main control device 110. In this case, S1107 in FIG. 26 is omitted. The variation pattern command may also include the value (N) of the reserved ball counter 203a after subtraction. In this case, when the voice lamp control device 112 receives a variation pattern command, it is sufficient to extract the reserved ball number (N) included in the variation pattern command and set it to the reserved ball number stored in the RAM 223.

In the above embodiment, the winning entry into the first starting port 64a and the second starting port 64b and the passing through the through gate 67 are each configured to be reserved up to four times, but the maximum number of reserved balls is not limited to four times, and may be set to three or less, or five or more times (e.g., eight times). In addition, the maximum number of reserved balls for winning entry into the first starting port 64a and the second starting port 64b may be set separately for each starting port, and the maximum number of reserved balls for each starting port may be any number other than "4". In addition, the maximum number of reserved balls for each starting port does not necessarily have to be the same value, and may be different values. In addition, the number of reserved balls displayed as a variable display based on winning entry into the first starting port 64a and the second starting port 64b may be displayed in a part of the third pattern display device 81 as a number, or in a form (e.g., color or lighting pattern) in which the four divided areas are different by the number of reserved balls, and a light-emitting element such as a lamp may be provided separately from the first pattern display device 37, and the number of reserved balls may be notified by the light-emitting element.

As shown in the above embodiment, the variable display, which is one type of dynamic display, is not limited to vertical scrolling of the pattern as identification information on the display screen of the third pattern display device 81, but may be performed by moving the pattern horizontally or along a predetermined path such as an L-shape. The dynamic display of identification information is not limited to the variable display of the pattern, but also includes, for example, a performance display in which one or more characters are displayed in a variety of movements or changes together with the pattern or separately from the pattern. In this case, one or more characters are used as the third pattern.

In each of the above embodiments, when performing a variable effect, a high-speed change is displayed in which all the symbols Z1 to Z3 scroll so quickly that the player cannot see them. However, instead of displaying this high-speed change, all the symbols Z1 to Z3 may be displayed in a reduced size so that they are not visible to the player, or all the symbols Z1 to Z3 may be displayed as a snow noise-like image in which a large number of white dots are displayed randomly.

The present invention may be implemented in a type of pachinko machine that is different from the above embodiment. For example, it may be implemented as a pachinko machine (commonly called a two-time right machine or a three-time right machine) in which the expected value of a jackpot is increased until a jackpot state occurs multiple times (for example, two or three times) including the first jackpot. It may also be implemented as a pachinko machine that generates a special game in which the player is given a predetermined game value after the jackpot pattern is displayed, with the necessary condition being that the ball enters a predetermined area. It may also be implemented as a pachinko machine that has a winning device with a special area such as a V zone, and the special game state is entered with the necessary condition being that the ball enters the special area. Furthermore, in addition to pachinko machines, it may be implemented as various gaming machines such as arepachi, mahjong ball, slot machines, and gaming machines that are a combination of a pachinko machine and a slot machine.

Slot machines are well known in that, for example, after inserting a coin and determining the effective line of symbols, a lever is operated to change the symbols, and a stop button is operated to stop and finalize the symbols. Therefore, the basic concept of a slot machine is "a slot machine that has a display device that displays a variable display of a string of identification information consisting of multiple identification information, and then displays the determined identification information, and that starts the variable display of the identification information due to the operation of a start operation means (e.g., a lever), stops the variable display of the identification information due to the operation of a stop operation means (e.g., a stop button) or after a predetermined time has passed, and generates a special game that awards a predetermined game value to the player, provided that the combination of identification information at the time of the stop is a specific one." In this case, typical examples of the game medium include coins, medals, etc.

In slot machines, the ratio of the number of gaming media paid out by bonuses (gimmicks) to the total number of gaming media (coins, medals) paid out during a specified period is the bonus ratio. Therefore, the number of gaming media paid out when each winning combination is achieved may be stored in the ROM of the main control device instead of the prize ball number table 202e, and the bonus ratio management chip or a control device that executes a function equivalent to the bonus ratio management chip may be used to count the number of winning combinations (patterns aligned on an active line) achieved during non-bonus game periods (normal periods), the number of winning combinations achieved during bonus game periods, and the number of winning combinations achieved during AT periods to manage the bonus ratio and consecutive bonus ratio.

An example of a gaming machine that combines a pachinko machine and a slot machine is one that has a display device that displays a pattern sequence consisting of multiple patterns in a variable manner and then displays the pattern in a fixed manner, but does not have a handle for shooting balls. In this case, after a specified amount of balls are inserted based on a specified operation (button operation), the pattern starts to change due to, for example, the operation of an operating lever, and the pattern change is stopped due to, for example, the operation of a stop button or after a specified time has passed, and a special game is generated in which a specified gaming value is awarded to the player, provided that the fixed pattern at the time of the stop is a so-called jackpot pattern, and a large number of balls are paid out to the player in a receiving tray at the bottom. If such a gaming machine is used instead of a slot machine, the gaming hall can handle only the balls as the gaming value, which can eliminate problems seen in current gaming halls where pachinko machines and slot machines are mixed, such as the burden on facilities due to the separate handling of medals and balls as the gaming value, and the restrictions on the location of gaming machines.

Below, various inventive concepts that are included in the above-mentioned embodiment in addition to the gaming machine of the present invention are shown. Note that each of the various inventive concepts shown below may be modified by adding a part or multiple parts of the configuration of another inventive concept to the inventive concept or by replacing a part or multiple parts of the configuration of another inventive concept with the inventive concept.

a game area provided with a plurality of winning holes including a first winning hole having a device that operates based on a game;
A launching means for launching a gaming medium into the gaming area;
a winning detection means provided for each of the winning openings, for detecting the winning of the game medium into the corresponding winning opening;
a payout means for paying out a predetermined number of game media to the winning port in which the game medium shot by the shot means has won when the winning detection means detects that the game medium shot by the shot means has won in the winning port;
a memory control means for accumulating and storing in a memory means information relating to the ratio of the number of the game media paid out based on a win in the first winning port to the number of the game media paid out by the payout means;
and an output means for outputting at least a signal based on the information cumulatively stored in the memory means.

According to the gaming machine A1, a launching means launches a gaming medium into a gaming area provided with a plurality of winning ports, including a first winning port having a role that operates based on a game. Each winning port is provided with a winning detection means for detecting the winning of the gaming medium. When the winning detection means detects that the gaming medium launched by the launching means has won any of the winning ports, a predetermined number of gaming media is paid out by the payout means to the winning port in which the gaming medium won. In addition, information related to the ratio of the number of gaming media paid out based on the winning of the first winning port to the number of gaming media paid out by the payout means is stored in the storage means by the storage control means. Then, a signal based on at least the information stored in the storage means is output by the output means. This has the effect of analyzing the role ratio, which is the ratio of the number of gaming media paid out in conjunction with the winning of the winning port to the number due to the first winning port (i.e., the operation of the role) based on the output signal, and discovering fraudulent behavior based on the role ratio.

In the gaming machine A1,
a main control means for mainly controlling a game, the main control means including the winning detection means, and a payout number setting means for, when the winning detection means detects that the game medium discharged by the discharge means has won in any of the winning ports, setting the number of game media to be paid out based on the winning port in which the game medium has won and notifying the payout means of the number;
The gaming machine A2 is characterized in that the memory means, the memory control means, and the output means are provided in the main control means.

Gaming machine A2 has the following effects in addition to those of gaming machine A1. That is, it has a winning detection means, and a payout number setting means that, when the winning detection means detects that the gaming medium fired by the firing means has won one of the winning ports, sets the number of gaming media to be paid out based on the winning port into which the gaming medium won and notifies the payout means, and the main control means, which mainly controls the game, is provided with a storage means that accumulates and stores information related to the ratio of the number of gaming media paid out based on the winning of the first winning port to the number of gaming media paid out by the payout means, a storage control means that accumulates the information and stores it in the storage means, and an output means that outputs at least a signal based on the information accumulated and stored in the storage means. This allows the detection of a win at a winning port by the winning detection means, the setting of the number of game media to be paid out based on that detection, the storage of information related to the ratio of the number of game media paid out based on a win at the first winning port to the number of game media paid out by the payout means based on the set number of payouts in the storage means, and the output of a signal based on the information stored in the storage means to all be performed within the main control means. Therefore, even if a cheater tries to output fraudulent information from the output means to prevent the detection of a fraudulent act based on the role ratio, it is difficult to input fraudulent information because the above configuration is completed by the main control means. This has the effect of preventing the detection of a fraudulent act based on the role ratio by a cheater outputting fraudulent information.

In the gaming machine A2,
The main control means is housed in a base box having a box base and a box cover for covering an opening of the box base connected in an unopenable manner.

Gaming machine A3 has the following effect in addition to the effect of gaming machine A2. That is, the main control means is stored in a base box in which a box base and a box cover covering the opening of the box base are connected in an unopenable manner. Therefore, even if a cheater tries to prevent the detection of a cheating act based on the role ratio by making the output means output fraudulent information, it becomes difficult to input fraudulent information. Therefore, there is an effect that it is possible to more reliably prevent the detection of a cheating act based on the role ratio from being prevented by a cheater outputting fraudulent information.

In any one of the gaming machines A1 to A3,
An external device connection means capable of connecting to an external device;
an external device connection detection means for detecting that the external device is connected to the external device connection means;
The gaming machine A4 is characterized in that, when the external device connection detection means detects that the external device has been connected, the output means outputs a signal to the external device based on the information accumulated and stored in the memory means.

Gaming machine A4 has the following effect in addition to the effect of any of gaming machines A1 to 3. That is, when an external device is connected to the external device connection means, it is detected by the external device connection means, and the detection triggers the output means to output to the external device a signal based on the information accumulated and stored in the storage means. As a result, simply by connecting an external device to the external device connection means of the gaming machine, a signal based on information related to the ratio of the number of gaming media paid out based on a win at the first winning slot to the number of gaming media paid out by the payout means is output from the gaming machine to the external device, thereby providing the effect that fraudulent behavior based on the ratio of game devices can be quickly and easily discovered.

In any one of gaming machines A1 to A4,
The gaming machine A5 is characterized in that the output means outputs at least a signal based on the information accumulated and stored in the memory means, and a signal for each winning port indicating the number of gaming media to be paid out by the payout means when a winning occurs in the corresponding winning port.

Gaming machine A5 has the following effect in addition to the effect of any of gaming machines A1 to 4. That is, the output means outputs at least a signal based on information stored in the storage means and a signal for each winning slot indicating the number of gaming media to be paid out by the payout means when a winning ticket is won at the corresponding winning slot. This has the effect of allowing the recipient of the signal output from the output means to easily analyze the ratio of game devices based on the signal output from the gaming machine, even if the recipient does not have information regarding the number of gaming media to be paid out when a winning ticket is won at each winning slot in the connected gaming machine.

In any one of the gaming machines A1 to A5,
a second storage control means for storing information regarding the winning detected by the winning detection means in a second storage means;
A determination means for determining that a predetermined opportunity has occurred,
The gaming machine A6 is characterized in that, when the judgment means determines that the specified trigger has occurred, the memory control means stores in the memory means information related to the ratio of the number of gaming media paid out based on a winning into the first winning port to the number of gaming media paid out by the payout means, based on information regarding the winning detected by the winning detection means stored in the second memory means.

Gaming machine A6 has the following effect in addition to the effect of any of gaming machines A1 to A5. That is, the second storage control means temporarily stores information about the winning detected by the winning detection means in the second storage means. Then, when the judgment means judges that a predetermined opportunity has occurred, information related to the ratio of the number of game media paid out based on the winning into the first winning port to the number of game media paid out by the payout means based on the winning information detected by the winning detection means stored in the second storage means is accumulated and stored in the storage means by the storage control means. As a result, by first storing information about the winning detected by the winning detection means in the second storage means, the winning into the winning port can be reflected in the information stored in the second storage means without missing out on the winning. Then, based on the information stored in the second storage means, each time a predetermined trigger occurs, information relating to the ratio of the number of game media paid out based on a win in the first winning slot to the number of game media paid out by the payout means, reflecting all wins, can be stored in the storage means. This has the effect of making it possible to output more accurate information relating to the ratio of the number of game media paid out based on a win in the first winning slot to the number of game media paid out by the payout means.

In the gaming machine A6,
The gaming machine A7 is characterized in that the output means outputs at least a signal based on the information cumulatively stored in the memory means and a signal based on the information stored in the second memory means.

Gaming machine A7 has the following effect in addition to the effect of gaming machine A6. That is, the output means outputs not only a signal based on the information accumulated and stored in the storage means, but also a signal based on the information stored in the second storage means. This has the effect of making it possible to determine whether or not there has been any fraudulent activity, including the latest winning situation, since information related to the most recent winning slot stored in the second storage means that is not reflected in the information stored in the storage means is also output.

In any one of the gaming machines A1 to A7,
The first winning port includes a second winning port having a device that operates continuously based on a game,
the storage control means causes the storage means to accumulate and store information relating to a ratio of the number of the game media paid out based on a win in the second winning port to the number of the game media paid out by the payout means;
Gaming machine A8, characterized in that the output means outputs information related to the ratio of the number of game media paid out based on a win at the first winning port to the number of game media paid out by the payout means, which are cumulatively stored in the memory means, and information related to the ratio of the number of game media paid out based on a win at the second winning port to the number of game media paid out by the payout means.

According to the gaming machine A8, in addition to the effect of any one of the gaming machines A1 to A7, the following effect is achieved. That is, the first winning opening provided in the game area includes a second winning opening having a device that operates continuously based on the game, and information related to the ratio of the number of gaming media paid out based on winning at the second winning opening to the number of gaming media paid out by the payout means is also stored in the storage means by the storage control means. Then, the information related to the ratio of the number of gaming media paid out based on winning at the first winning opening to the number of gaming media paid out by the payout means, which is accumulated and stored in the storage means, and the information related to the ratio of the number of gaming media paid out based on winning at the second winning opening to the number of gaming media paid out by the payout means are output. This allows the recipient of the signal output from the output means to analyze not only the role ratio, which is the ratio of the number of game media paid out in response to winning at the winning port that is due to the first winning port (i.e., the operation of the role), but also the consecutive role ratio, which is the ratio of the number of game media paid out in response to winning at the second winning port (i.e., the operation of the role when the role is operated continuously), and has the effect of being able to more accurately detect fraudulent activity based on the role ratio and consecutive role ratio.

In any one of the gaming machines A1 to A8,
a main control means for mainly controlling a game, the main control means including the winning detection means, and a payout number setting means for, when the winning detection means detects that the game medium discharged by the discharge means has won in any of the winning ports, setting the number of game media to be paid out based on the winning port in which the game medium has won and notifying the payout means of the number;
The main control means has a calculation means for executing a calculation for performing a main control of a game,
At least the winning detection means, the payout amount setting means, the memory control means, and the output means are realized by the execution of calculations by the calculation means.

According to the gaming machine A9, in addition to the effects of any of the gaming machines A1 to A8, the following effects are achieved. That is, the gaming machine A9 has a winning detection means, and a payout number setting means that, when the winning detection means detects that the gaming medium fired by the firing means has won in any of the winning ports, sets the number of gaming media to be paid out based on the winning port in which the gaming medium won and notifies the payout means, and the main control means that performs the main control of the game is provided with a calculation means that executes calculations for performing the main control of the game. And at least the winning detection means, the payout number setting means, and the generation of information related to the ratio of the number of gaming media paid out based on the winning in the first winning port to the number of gaming media paid out by the payout means, which is accumulated and stored in the storage means, and the output means that outputs at least a signal based on the information accumulated and stored in the storage means, are realized by the execution of calculations by the calculation means. As a result, the detection of a win at a winning port by the winning detection means, the setting of the number of game media to be paid out based on that detection, the storage control means storing in the storage means information related to the ratio of the number of game media paid out based on a win at the first winning port to the number of game media paid out by the payout means based on the set number of payouts, and the output of a signal based on the information stored in the storage means can all be performed by the arithmetic device of the main control means. Therefore, even if a cheater tries to prevent the detection of a cheating act based on the role ratio by causing the output means to output fraudulent information, it becomes difficult to input fraudulent information. Therefore, there is an effect that it is possible to more reliably prevent the detection of a cheating act based on the role ratio by a cheater outputting fraudulent information.

In any one of the gaming machines A1 to A8,
A main control means for mainly controlling a game is provided,
The main control means includes a calculation means for executing a calculation for performing a main control of a game,
The winning detection means and the payout number setting means, which, when the winning detection means detects that the game medium shot by the shooting means has won in any of the winning ports, sets the number of game media to be paid out based on the winning port in which the game medium has won and notifies the payout means of this, are realized by the execution of a calculation by the calculation means;
The gaming machine B1 is characterized in that the memory control means and the output means are provided on a microchip separate from the performance means.

According to the gaming machine B1, in addition to the effect of any one of the gaming machines A1 to A7, the following effect is achieved. That is, the main control means that performs the main control of the game is provided with a calculation means that executes calculations for performing that control, and the winning detection means and the payout number setting means that, when the winning detection means detects that the gaming medium fired by the firing means has won in any winning port, sets the number of gaming media to be paid out based on the winning port in which the gaming medium won and notifies the payout means are realized by the execution of calculations by the main calculation means. Meanwhile, the memory control means that accumulates and stores in the memory means information related to the ratio of the number of gaming media paid out based on the winning in the first winning port to the number of gaming media paid out by the payout means, and the output means that outputs at least a signal based on the information accumulated and stored in the memory means are provided in a microchip separate from the calculation means. This has the effect of making it possible to output a signal based on information related to the ratio of the number of game media paid out based on a win at the first winning port to the number of game media paid out by the payout means, without significantly rewriting the calculation instructions (program) executed by the calculation means, simply by providing a separate microchip. In addition, because a signal based on information related to the ratio of the number of game media paid out based on a win at the first winning port to the number of game media paid out by the payout means is output, it is possible to suppress an increase in the processing load on the calculation means, and it is possible to devote most of the processing capacity of the calculation means to the main control of the game.

In the gaming machine B1,
The gaming machine B2 is characterized in that the microchip is provided in the main control means.

Gaming machine B2 has the following effect in addition to the effect of gaming machine B1. That is, a microchip provided with a memory control means, an output means, and a performance means is provided in the main control means. As a result, the storage means stores information related to the ratio of the number of gaming media paid out based on winning into the first winning port to the number of gaming media paid out by the payout means based on the set payout number, and the main control means outputs a signal based on the information stored in the storage means. Therefore, even if a cheater tries to prevent the detection of a cheating act based on the role ratio by causing the output means to output fraudulent information, it is difficult to input fraudulent information because the above configuration is completed by the main control means. Therefore, there is an effect that it is possible to suppress the prevention of the detection of a cheating act based on the role ratio by the output of fraudulent information by a cheater.

In the gaming machine B1 or B2,
The gaming machine B3 is characterized in that the main control means and the microchip are housed together in a base box having a box base and a box cover covering an opening of the box base connected in an unopenable manner.

Gaming machine B3 has the following effect in addition to the effect of gaming machines B1 and B2. That is, the main control means and the microchip are stored in a board box in which a box base and a box cover covering the opening of the box base are connected in an unopenable manner. Therefore, even if a cheater tries to prevent the detection of a cheating act based on the role ratio by making the output means output fraudulent information, it becomes difficult to input fraudulent information. Therefore, there is an effect that it is possible to more reliably prevent the detection of a cheating act based on the role ratio from being prevented by a cheater outputting fraudulent information.

In any one of gaming machines B1 to B3,
The main control means
a payout information storage means for storing information regarding the number of game media to be paid out by the payout means when a win is made at the corresponding winning port;
The computing means executes a start-up process when the main control means is powered on,
Gaming machine B4 is characterized in that the startup process includes a process for transmitting information to the microchip indicating the number of gaming media to be paid out by the payout means for each winning port when a winning occurs at the corresponding winning port, based on the memory of the payout information storage means.

Gaming machine B4 has the following effect in addition to the effect of any of gaming machines B1 to B3. That is, the main control means stores information on the number of game media to be paid out by the payout means when a winning ticket is won at the corresponding winning ticket in the payout information storage means. In the calculation means, a start-up process is executed when the main control means is powered on, and during the start-up process, information indicating the number of game media to be paid out by the payout means when a winning ticket is won at the corresponding winning ticket is transmitted to the microchip based on the storage in the payout information storage means. This has the effect that, even if the information indicating the number of game media to be paid out for a winning ticket at each winning ticket, which differs for each model of gaming machine, is not stored in the microchip in advance, the microchip can calculate the ratio of the game devices based on the information transmitted from the main control means when the power is turned on, or can output a signal based on that information and have the device that receives the signal output from the output means calculate the ratio of the game devices.

In any one of gaming machines B1 to B4,
The gaming machine B5 is characterized in that the microchip includes a second calculation means for performing calculations to realize the memory control means and the output means.

Gaming machine B5 provides the following effect in addition to the effect provided by any of gaming machines B1 to B4. That is, the microchip is provided with a second calculation means, and the memory control means for accumulating and storing in the memory means information related to the ratio of the number of gaming media paid out based on winning into the first winning port to the number of gaming media paid out by the payout means, and the output means for outputting at least a signal based on the information accumulated and stored in the memory means are realized by the calculation of this second calculation means. This has the effect of making it possible to flexibly respond to functional and specification changes in the memory control means, output means, etc. by changing the calculation command (program) of the second presentation means.

In any one of gaming machines B1 to B4,
The gaming machine B6 is characterized in that the microchip realizes the memory control means and the output means by wired logic.

Gaming machine B6 achieves the following effect in addition to the effect achieved by any of gaming machines B1 to B4. That is, the microchip realizes, by means of wired logic, a storage control means for accumulating and storing in a storage means information relating to the ratio of the number of gaming media paid out based on a win at the first winning port to the number of gaming media paid out by the payout means, and an output means for outputting at least a signal based on the information accumulated and stored in the storage means. This has the effect of enabling high-speed processing such as storing and outputting in the storage means information relating to the ratio of the number of gaming media paid out based on a win at the first winning port to the number of gaming media paid out by the payout means.

In any of the gaming machines A1 to A9 and B1 to B6,
The storage means is configured to be able to retain stored information even while the power is turned off.

Gaming machine C1 has the following effect in addition to the effect of any of gaming machines A1 to A9 and B1 to B6. That is, the information stored in the storage means related to the ratio of the number of gaming media paid out based on winning at the first winning slot to the number of gaming media paid out by the payout means is retained even while the power is turned off. This allows information related to the ratio of the number of gaming media paid out based on winning at the first winning slot to the number of gaming media paid out by the payout means over a long period of time to be accumulated and stored in the storage means, regardless of whether the gaming machine is powered on or not. Therefore, anyone who receives a signal output from the output means can analyze the ratio of the game features of the gaming machine over a long period of time, which has the effect of discovering past fraudulent behavior as well.

In the gaming machine C1,
a second storage means that cannot hold information while the power supply is cut off;
a second storage control means for storing information regarding the winning detected by the winning detection means in the second storage means;
A determination means for determining that a predetermined opportunity has occurred,
The gaming machine C2 is characterized in that, when the judgment means determines that the specified trigger has occurred, the memory control means stores in the memory means information related to the ratio of the number of gaming media paid out based on a winning entry into the first winning port to the number of gaming media paid out by the payout means, based on information regarding the winning detected by the winning detection means stored in the second memory means.

In addition to the effects of gaming machine C1, gaming machine C2 provides the following effects. That is, the information about the winning detected by the winning detection means is temporarily stored in the second storage means by the second storage control means. The second storage means cannot hold information while the power is turned off. Then, when the judgment means judges that a predetermined opportunity has occurred, information related to the ratio of the number of game media paid out based on the winning into the first winning port to the number of game media paid out by the payout means based on the winning information detected by the winning detection means stored in the second storage means is accumulated and stored in the storage means by the storage control means. As a result, by first storing the information about the winning detected by the winning detection means in the second storage means, the winning into the winning port can be reflected in the information stored in the second storage means without missing out on the winning. Then, each time a predetermined trigger occurs, information related to the ratio of the number of game media paid out based on winning into the first winning slot to the number of game media paid out by the payout means can be stored in the storage means, reflecting all winnings, based on the information stored in the second storage means. This has the effect of outputting more accurate information related to the ratio of the number of game media paid out based on winning into the first winning slot to the number of game media paid out by the payout means. In addition, the storage means is configured to be able to hold the stored information even while the power is cut off. Generally, writing requires a large amount of power, takes a long time, and there is a limit to the number of times it can be written from the standpoint of durability. However, by configuring it as described above, the number of times it can be written into the storage means can be reduced, and the above problems with the storage means can be prevented from becoming apparent.

In the gaming machine C2,
The output means outputs at least a signal based on the information cumulatively stored in the memory means and a signal based on the information stored in the second memory means.

Gaming machine C3 achieves the following effect in addition to the effect achieved by gaming machine C2. That is, the output means outputs not only a signal based on the information accumulated and stored in the storage means, but also a signal based on the information stored in the second storage means. This results in the output of information related to the most recent winning entry stored in the second storage means, which is not reflected in the information stored in the storage means, and has the effect of making it possible to determine whether or not there has been any fraudulent activity, including the most recent winning situation.

In any one of the gaming machines A1 to A9, B1 to B6, and C1 to C3,
The gaming machine D1 is characterized in that the memory control means accumulates and stores in the memory means information indicating a win detected by the win detection means as information related to the ratio of the number of game media paid out based on a win at the first winning port to the number of game media paid out by the payout means.

According to the gaming machine D1, in addition to the effect of any one of the gaming machines A1 to A9, B1 to B6, and C1 to C3, the following effect is achieved. That is, the memory control means accumulates and stores information indicating the winning port where the winning is detected by the winning detection means as information related to the ratio of the number of gaming media paid out based on winning into the first winning port to the number of gaming media paid out by the payout means in the memory means. Then, a signal based on this information is output. The person who receives the signal output from the output means can calculate the number of gaming media paid out by the payout means and the number of gaming media paid out based on winning into the first winning port based on the information indicating the winning port where the winning was detected, and can analyze the role ratio from these numbers. Then, if a suspicious change is found in the role ratio, the cause can be deeply investigated based on the information indicating the winning port where the winning was detected. Therefore, there is an effect that fraudulent acts based on the role ratio can be more reliably discovered.

In the gaming machine D1,
a second storage control means for storing information regarding the winning detected by the winning detection means in a second storage means;
A determination means for determining that a predetermined opportunity has occurred,
The gaming machine D2 is characterized in that, when the judgment means determines that the specified trigger has occurred, the memory control means accumulates and stores in the memory means information regarding the winning detected by the winning detection means stored in the second memory means as information related to the ratio of the number of gaming media paid out based on the winning at the first winning port to the number of gaming media paid out by the payout means.

Gaming machine D1 provides the following effect in addition to the effect provided by any of gaming machines D2. That is, the second storage control means temporarily stores information about winning detected by the winning detection means in the second storage means. Then, when the judgment means determines that a predetermined opportunity has occurred, the information about winning detected by the winning detection means stored in the second storage means is accumulated and stored in the storage means by the storage control means as information related to the ratio of the number of game media paid out based on winning into the first winning slot to the number of game media paid out by the payout means. In this way, by first storing information about winning detected by the winning detection means in the second storage means, winning into the winning slot can be reflected in the information stored in the second storage means without missing any winnings. Then, each time a predetermined trigger occurs, the information stored in the second storage means reflecting all wins can be accumulated and stored in the storage means as information related to the ratio of the number of game media paid out based on a win in the first winning slot to the number of game media paid out by the payout means. This has the effect of making it possible to output more accurate information related to the ratio of the number of game media paid out based on a win in the first winning slot to the number of game media paid out by the payout means.

In the gaming machine D2,
The gaming machine D3 is characterized in that the output means outputs at least a signal based on the information cumulatively stored in the memory means and a signal based on the information stored in the second memory means.

Gaming machine D3 achieves the following effect in addition to the effect achieved by gaming machine D2. That is, the output means outputs not only a signal based on the information accumulated and stored in the storage means, but also a signal based on the information stored in the second storage means. This results in the output of information related to the most recent winning entry stored in the second storage means, which is not reflected in the information stored in the storage means, and has the effect of making it possible to determine whether or not there has been any fraudulent activity, including the most recent winning situation.

In any one of the gaming machines D1 to D3,
The gaming machine D4 is characterized in that the output means outputs at least a signal based on the information accumulated and stored in the memory means, and a signal indicating, at each winning port, the number of gaming media to be paid out by the payout means when a winning occurs at the corresponding winning port.

Gaming machine D4 achieves the following effect in addition to the effect achieved by any of gaming machines D1 to D3. That is, the output means outputs at least a signal based on the information stored in the storage means and a signal for each winning slot indicating the number of gaming media to be paid out by the payout means when a winning occurs at the corresponding winning slot. This has the effect of allowing the recipient of the signal output from the output means to calculate and analyze the ratio of game devices from the winning information output from the gaming machine, even if the recipient does not have information regarding the number of gaming media to be paid out when a winning occurs at each winning slot in the connected gaming machine.

In any one of the gaming machines D1 to D4,
a ratio calculation means for calculating a ratio of the number of the game media paid out based on a win at the first winning port to the number of the game media paid out by the payout means based on the information accumulated and stored in the storage means,
The gaming machine D5 is characterized in that the output means outputs a signal indicating the ratio calculated by the ratio calculation means as a signal based on the information accumulated and stored in the memory means.

According to the gaming machine D5, in addition to the effect of any one of the gaming machines D1 to D4, the following effect is achieved. That is, based on the information accumulated and stored in the storage means, the ratio of the number of gaming media paid out based on the winning of the first winning port to the number of gaming media paid out by the payout means is calculated by the ratio calculation means. Then, a signal indicating the ratio calculated by this ratio calculation means is output by the output means as a signal based on the information accumulated and stored in the storage means. As a result, it is not necessary for a person who receives the signal output by the output means to calculate the ratio (the role ratio), and it is possible to easily analyze fraudulent acts. In addition, when a person who receives the signal output by the output means tries to calculate the role ratio, there is a risk that the role ratio will be calculated based on the number of gaming media paid out by the payout means when a winning is made in the corresponding winning port in each winning port that is set fraudulently or erroneously. In contrast, in the gaming machine D5, the ratio of the reels is calculated and output by a ratio calculation means, which has the effect of allowing accurate calculation of the ratio of the reels and the ratio of consecutive reels.

In the gaming machine D5,
The gaming machine D6 is characterized in that the output means outputs, as signals based on the information accumulated and stored in the memory means, a signal indicating the information accumulated and stored in the memory means and a signal indicating the ratio calculated by the ratio calculation means.

Gaming machine D6 has the following effect in addition to the effect of gaming machine D5. That is, the output means outputs a signal indicating winning information detected by the winning detection means, which is accumulated and stored in the storage means, and a signal indicating the ratio of the number of gaming media paid out based on winning into the first winning slot to the number of gaming media paid out by the payout means, which is calculated by the ratio calculation means. This has the effect that if there is something suspicious about the ratio (gimmick ratio) output from the output means, the cause can be found from the winning information detected by the winning detection means, which is also output.

In any one of the gaming machines A1 to A9, B1 to B6, and C1 to C3,
a second storage control means for storing information regarding the winning detected by the winning detection means in a second storage means;
A determination means for determining that a predetermined opportunity has occurred;
a ratio calculation means for calculating a ratio of the number of game media paid out based on a win at the first winning port to the number of game media paid out by the payout means based on the information stored in the second storage means when the determination means determines that the predetermined opportunity has occurred,
The gaming machine E1, wherein the memory control means cumulatively stores information indicating the ratio calculated by the ratio calculation means in the memory means.

According to the gaming machine E1, in addition to the effect of any of the gaming machines A1 to A9, B1 to B6, and C1 to C3, the following effect is achieved. That is, the information about the winning detected by the winning detection means is temporarily stored in the second storage means by the second storage control means. When the judgment means judges that a predetermined opportunity has occurred, the ratio of the number of gaming media paid out based on the winning into the first winning port to the number of gaming media paid out by the payout means is calculated by the ratio calculation means based on the information stored in the second storage means. Then, information indicating this calculated ratio is accumulated and stored in the storage means by the storage control means. As a result, the calculated ratio (role ratio) is output, so that the person who receives the signal output by the output means does not need to calculate the ratio (role ratio), which has the effect of making it easier to analyze fraudulent behavior. In addition, when a device that receives a signal output by the output means attempts to calculate the ratio of the prizes, there is a risk that the ratio of the prizes will be calculated based on the number of game media paid out by the payout means when a prize is won at the corresponding prize slot that has been set fraudulently or erroneously. However, since the ratio of the prizes is calculated and output by the ratio calculation means, it is possible to accurately calculate the ratio of the prizes and the ratio of consecutive prizes. In addition, since the information indicating the ratio of the prizes is accumulated and stored in the storage means, it is possible to reduce the amount of information stored in the storage means, and it is possible to prevent the storage capacity required for the storage means from increasing.

In the gaming machine E1,
The gaming machine E2 is characterized in that the output means outputs at least a signal based on the information cumulatively stored in the memory means and a signal based on the information stored in the second memory means.

Gaming machine E2 has the following effect in addition to the effect of gaming machine E1. That is, the output means outputs not only a signal based on the information accumulated and stored in the storage means, but also a signal based on the information stored in the second storage means. This allows information about the latest winning entry into the winning slot stored in the second storage means, which is not reflected in the information stored in the storage means, to be output, which has the effect of making it possible to determine whether or not there has been any fraudulent activity, including the latest winning situation. Also, while the information stored in the storage means is the ratio of winning devices, the information stored in the second storage means is information about winning detected by the winning detection means, so that the use of the winning information allows for a deeper analysis of the cause of a situation suspected of being fraudulent.

In the gaming machine E1 or E2,
Gaming machine E3, characterized in that the output means outputs at least a signal based on the information cumulatively stored in the memory means, and a signal indicating, at each winning port, the number of gaming media to be paid out by the payout means when a winning occurs at the corresponding winning port.

Gaming machine E3 achieves the following effect in addition to the effect achieved by gaming machines E1 or E2. That is, the output means outputs at least a signal based on information stored in the storage means and a signal indicating the number of gaming media to be paid out by the payout means when a winning ticket is won at the corresponding winning ticket at each winning slot. This has the effect of making it possible to find the cause of a situation in which fraudulent activity is suspected by analyzing the ratio of winning devices, by referring to the number of gaming media to be paid out by the payout means when a winning ticket is won at the corresponding winning ticket at each winning slot.

In any one of the gaming machines A1 to A9, B1 to B6, and C1 to C3,
a second storage control means for counting the number of game media that have won in each winning slot from the occurrence of a predetermined opportunity until the occurrence of the next predetermined opportunity for each winning slot based on detection by the winning detection means, and storing information indicating the number of game media that have won in each winning slot, counted for each winning slot, in a second storage means;
A determination means for determining that a predetermined opportunity has occurred,
The gaming machine F1 is characterized in that, when the judgment means determines that the specified trigger has occurred, the memory control means accumulates and stores in the memory means the information stored in the second memory means as information related to the ratio of the number of game media paid out based on a win at the first winning port to the number of game media paid out by the payout means.

According to the gaming machine F1, in addition to the effect of any of the gaming machines A1 to A9, B1 to B6, and C1 to C3, the following effect is achieved. That is, based on detection by the winning detection means, the number of game media won in each winning slot from the occurrence of a predetermined trigger until the occurrence of the next predetermined trigger is counted for each winning slot by the second storage control means, and information indicating the number of winning game media counted for each winning slot is stored in the second storage means. Then, when the judgment means judges that the predetermined trigger has occurred, the information indicating the winning game media counted for each winning slot and stored in the second storage means is accumulated and stored in the storage means by the storage control means as information related to the ratio of the number of game media paid out based on winning in the first winning slot to the number of game media paid out by the payout means. As a result, first, the winnings detected by the winning detection means are counted by the second storage control means for each winning slot, so that winnings at the winning slots are not overlooked and are reflected in the information stored in the second storage means. Then, every time a predetermined opportunity occurs, the information indicating the number of game media won at each winning slot, which is stored in the second storage means by reflecting all winnings, can be accumulated and stored in the storage means as information related to the ratio of the number of game media paid out based on winnings at the first winning slot to the number of game media paid out by the payout means. Therefore, there is an effect that more accurate information can be output as information related to the ratio of the number of game media paid out based on winnings at the first winning slot to the number of game media paid out by the payout means. In addition, since the storage means stores the total number of game media won at each winning slot from the occurrence of a predetermined opportunity until the occurrence of the next predetermined opportunity, there is an effect that the storage capacity required for the storage means can be suppressed from increasing. Furthermore, the second storage means also stores information indicating the number of game media that have won in each winning slot between the occurrence of a predetermined trigger and the occurrence of the next predetermined trigger, which has the effect of preventing an increase in the storage capacity required for the second storage means.

In the gaming machine F1,
The gaming machine F2, characterized in that the output means outputs at least a signal based on the information cumulatively stored in the memory means and a signal based on the information stored in the second memory means.

Gaming machine F2 achieves the following effect in addition to the effect achieved by gaming machine F1. That is, the output means outputs not only a signal based on the information accumulated and stored in the storage means, but also a signal based on the information stored in the second storage means. This results in the output of information indicating the number of gaming media that have won at each winning slot, including the most recent winning slot, which is stored in the second storage means and is not reflected in the information stored in the storage means, thereby providing the effect of making it possible to determine whether or not there has been any fraudulent activity, including the most recent winning situation.

In the gaming machine F1 or F2,
Gaming machine F3, characterized in that the output means outputs at least a signal based on the information cumulatively stored in the memory means, and a signal indicating, at each winning port, the number of gaming media to be paid out by the payout means when a winning occurs at the corresponding winning port.

Gaming machine F3 has the following effect in addition to the effect of gaming machines F1 and F2. That is, the output means outputs at least a signal based on the information stored in the storage means and a signal for each winning slot indicating the number of gaming media to be paid out by the payout means when a winning occurs at the corresponding winning slot. This has the effect that even if the recipient of the signal output from the output means does not have information regarding the number of gaming media to be paid out when a winning occurs at each winning slot in the connected gaming machine, the device ratio can be calculated and analyzed from the winning information output from the gaming machine.

In any one of the gaming machines F1 to F3,
a ratio calculation means for calculating a ratio of the number of the game media paid out based on a win into the first winning port to the number of the game media paid out by the payout means based on the information accumulated and stored in the storage means,
The gaming machine F4 is characterized in that the output means outputs a signal indicating the ratio calculated by the ratio calculation means as a signal based on the information cumulatively stored in the memory means.

According to the gaming machine F4, in addition to the effect of any one of the gaming machines F1 to F3, the following effect is achieved. That is, based on the information accumulated and stored in the storage means, the ratio of the number of gaming media paid out based on the winning of the first winning port to the number of gaming media paid out by the payout means is calculated by the ratio calculation means. Then, a signal indicating the ratio calculated by this ratio calculation means is output by the output means as a signal based on the information accumulated and stored in the storage means. This has the effect that the person who receives the signal output from the output means does not need to calculate the ratio (the role ratio), and it is possible to easily analyze the fraudulent act. In addition, when the person who receives the signal output from the output means tries to calculate the role ratio, there is a risk that the role ratio will be calculated based on the number of gaming media paid out by the payout means when a winning occurs in the corresponding winning port in each winning port that is set fraudulently or erroneously. In contrast, in gaming machine F4, the ratio of the reels is calculated and output by a ratio calculation means, which has the effect of allowing accurate calculation of the ratio of the reels and the ratio of consecutive reels.

In the gaming machine F4,
The gaming machine F5 is characterized in that the output means outputs, as signals based on the information accumulated and stored in the memory means, a signal indicating the information accumulated and stored in the memory means and a signal indicating the ratio calculated by the ratio calculation means.

Gaming machine F5 has the following effect in addition to the effect of gaming machine F4. That is, as information accumulated and stored in the storage means, a signal indicating the number of game media won in each winning port from when a predetermined trigger occurs until the next predetermined trigger occurs, and a signal indicating the ratio of the number of game media paid out based on winning in the first winning port to the number of game media paid out by the payout means calculated by the ratio calculation means are output by the output means. This has the effect that if there is something suspicious about the ratio (gimmick ratio) output from the output means, the cause can be found from the number of game media won in each winning port from when a predetermined trigger occurs until the next predetermined trigger occurs, which is also output.

In any one of the gaming machines A1 to A9, B1 to B6, and C1 to C3,
a second storage control means for counting the number of game media that have won in each winning slot from the occurrence of a predetermined opportunity until the occurrence of the next predetermined opportunity for each winning slot based on detection by the winning detection means, and storing information indicating the number of game media that have won in each winning slot, counted for each winning slot, in a second storage means;
A determination means for determining that a predetermined opportunity has occurred;
a ratio calculation means for calculating a ratio of the number of game media paid out based on a win at the first winning port to the number of game media paid out by the payout means based on the information stored in the second storage means when the determination means determines that the predetermined opportunity has occurred,
The gaming machine G1 is characterized in that the memory control means accumulates and stores information indicating the ratio calculated by the ratio calculation means in the memory means.

According to the gaming machine G1, in addition to the effect of any of the gaming machines A1 to A9, B1 to B6, and C1 to C3, the following effect is achieved. That is, based on detection by the winning detection means, the number of game media that have won in each winning slot from the occurrence of a predetermined trigger until the occurrence of the next predetermined trigger is counted for each winning slot by the second storage control means, and information indicating the number of winning game media counted for each winning slot is stored in the second storage means. When the judgment means judges that the predetermined trigger has occurred, based on the information stored in the second storage means, the ratio calculation means calculates the ratio of the number of game media paid out based on the winning in the first winning slot to the number of game media paid out by the payout means. Then, the information indicating this calculated ratio is accumulated and stored in the storage means by the storage control means. As a result, the calculated ratio (role ratio) is output, so that the person who receives the signal output by the output means does not need to calculate the ratio (role ratio), and there is an effect that it is possible to easily analyze fraudulent acts. In addition, when the person who receives the signal output by the output means tries to calculate the role ratio, there is a risk that the role ratio is calculated based on the number of game media paid out by the payout means when a prize is won at the corresponding winning port, which is set illegally or erroneously, but since the role ratio is calculated and output by the ratio calculation means, there is an effect that the role ratio and the consecutive role ratio can be calculated accurately. In addition, since the information indicating the role ratio is accumulated and stored in the storage means, there is an effect that the amount of information stored in the storage means can be reduced, and the storage capacity required for the storage means can be suppressed from increasing. Furthermore, since the second storage means also stores information indicating the number of game media won at each winning port from the occurrence of a predetermined trigger until the occurrence of the next predetermined trigger, there is an effect that the storage capacity required for the second storage means can be suppressed from increasing.

In the gaming machine G1,
The gaming machine G2 is characterized in that the output means outputs at least a signal based on the information cumulatively stored in the memory means and a signal based on the information stored in the second memory means.

In addition to the effects of the gaming machine G1, the gaming machine G2 has the following effects. That is, the output means outputs not only a signal based on the information accumulated and stored in the storage means, but also a signal based on the information stored in the second storage means. This outputs information indicating the number of gaming media that have won at each winning slot, including the latest winning slot, that is stored in the second storage means and is not reflected in the information stored in the storage means, so that it is possible to determine whether or not there has been any fraudulent activity, including the latest winning situation. In addition, while the information stored in the storage means is the ratio of game devices, the information stored in the second storage means is information indicating the number of gaming media that have won at each winning slot from the time a specified opportunity occurs until the time the next specified opportunity occurs, so that by using this information, it is possible to more deeply analyze the cause of a situation suspected of being fraudulent.

In the gaming machine G1 or G2,
The gaming machine G3 is characterized in that the output means outputs at least a signal based on the information accumulated and stored in the memory means, and a signal indicating, at each winning port, the number of gaming media to be paid out by the payout means when a winning occurs at the corresponding winning port.

Gaming machine G3 achieves the following effect in addition to the effect achieved by gaming machines G1 or G2. That is, the output means outputs at least a signal based on information stored in the storage means and a signal indicating the number of gaming media to be paid out by the payout means when a winning ticket is won at the corresponding winning ticket. This has the effect that a person who receives the signal output from the output means can analyze the ratio of the game devices and, if there is a situation where fraudulent activity is suspected, can look for the cause of the situation by referring to the number of gaming media to be paid out by the payout means when a winning ticket is won at the corresponding winning ticket.

In any of the gaming machines A1 to A9, B1 to B6, C1 to C3, D1 to D6, E1 to E3, F1 to F5, and G1 to G3,
a second storage control means for storing information about the winning detected by the winning detection means from the occurrence of a predetermined opportunity until the occurrence of the next predetermined opportunity in a second storage means;
A determination means for determining that a predetermined opportunity has occurred,
The gaming machine H1 is characterized in that, when the judgment means determines that the specified trigger has occurred, the memory control means stores in the memory means information related to the ratio of the number of gaming media paid out based on a winning entry into the first winning port to the number of gaming media paid out by the payout means, based on information regarding the winning detected by the winning detection means stored in the second memory means.

According to the gaming machine H1, in addition to the effects of any of the gaming machines A1 to A9, B1 to B6, C1 to C3, D1 to D6, E1 to E3, F1 to F5, and G1 to G3, the following effects are achieved. That is, the second storage control means temporarily stores information about winning detected by the winning detection means from the occurrence of a predetermined opportunity until the occurrence of the next predetermined opportunity in the second storage means. Then, when the judgment means judges that a predetermined opportunity has occurred, information related to the ratio of the number of game media paid out based on winning into the first winning port to the number of game media paid out by the payout means based on the winning information detected by the winning detection means stored in the second storage means is accumulated and stored in the storage means by the storage control means. As a result, by first storing information about winning detected by the winning detection means in the second storage means, winning into the winning port can be reflected in the information stored in the second storage means without missing out. Then, based on the information stored in the second storage means, each time a predetermined event occurs, information relating to the ratio of the number of game media paid out based on a win in the first winning slot to the number of game media paid out by the payout means can be stored in the storage means, reflecting all wins. This has the effect of outputting more accurate information relating to the ratio of the number of game media paid out based on a win in the first winning slot to the number of game media paid out by the payout means. In addition, since the second storage means only stores information relating to wins detected by the win detection means from the occurrence of a predetermined event until the occurrence of the next predetermined event, it has the effect of keeping the storage capacity of the second storage means small.

In the gaming machine H1,
The gaming machine H2, characterized in that the output means outputs at least a signal based on the information cumulatively stored in the memory means and a signal based on the information stored in the second memory means.

Gaming machine H2 achieves the following effect in addition to the effect achieved by gaming machine H1. That is, the output means outputs not only a signal based on the information accumulated and stored in the storage means, but also a signal based on the information stored in the second storage means. This results in the output of information related to the most recent winning entry into the winning slot stored in the second storage means, which is not reflected in the information stored in the storage means, and has the effect of making it possible to determine whether or not there has been any fraudulent activity, including the most recent winning situation.

In the gaming machine H1 or H2,
The gaming machine H3 is characterized in that the second storage means is configured to be able to retain stored information even while the power is cut off.

Gaming machine H3 achieves the following effect in addition to the effect achieved by gaming machines H1 and H2. That is, the winning information stored in the second storage means and detected by the winning detection means from when a predetermined trigger occurs until the next predetermined trigger occurs is retained even while the power is cut off. This has the effect of preventing the loss of winning information stored in the second storage means and not yet reflected in the storage means when the power is cut off, thereby increasing the reliability of the output signal.

In any of the gaming machines A1 to A9, B1 to B6, C1 to C3, D1 to D6, E1 to E3, F1 to F5, G1 to G3, and H1 to H3,
a second storage control means for storing information regarding the winning detected by the winning detection means in a second storage means;
A determination means for determining that a predetermined opportunity has occurred;
A power interruption detection means for detecting that the power supply is interrupted,
The gaming machine I1 is characterized in that, when the judgment means determines that the specified trigger has occurred and when the power interruption detection means detects that the power has been interrupted, the memory control means stores in the memory means information related to the ratio of the number of gaming media paid out based on the winning detected by the winning detection means stored in the second memory means to the number of gaming media paid out based on the winning into the first winning port to the number of gaming media paid out by the payout means.

Gaming machine I1 provides the following effect in addition to the effect provided by any of gaming machines A1 to A9, B1 to B6, C1 to C3, D1 to D6, E1 to E3, F1 to F5, G1 to G3, and H1 to H3. That is, the second storage control means temporarily stores information about the winning detected by the winning detection means in the second storage means. Then, when the judgment means judges that a predetermined opportunity has occurred, the memory control means accumulates and stores in the storage means information related to the ratio of the number of gaming media paid out based on the winning into the first winning slot to the number of gaming media paid out by the payout means, based on the information about the winning detected by the winning detection means stored in the second storage means. Furthermore, even when the power interruption detection means detects that the power supply is interrupted, information related to the ratio of the number of game media paid out based on winning into the first winning slot to the number of game media paid out by the payout means based on the winning information detected by the winning detection means stored in the second storage means is accumulated and stored in the storage means by the storage control means. In this way, by first storing the winning information detected by the winning detection means in the second storage means, winning into the winning slots can be reflected in the information stored in the second storage means without missing any winnings. Then, based on the information stored in the second storage means, every time a predetermined opportunity occurs, or even when the power supply is interrupted before the predetermined opportunity occurs, information related to the ratio of the number of game media paid out based on winning into the first winning slot to the number of game media paid out by the payout means can be stored in the storage means, reflecting all winnings. This has the effect of preventing the loss of winning information stored in the second storage means that has not yet been reflected in the storage means when the power is cut off, and of outputting more accurate information related to the ratio of the number of gaming media paid out based on a winning entry to the first winning slot to the number of gaming media paid out by the payout means.

In the gaming machine I1,
a power supply means capable of supplying power for at least a predetermined period of time even after the power supply is cut off;
The power supply means supplies the power to at least the memory control means.

Gaming machine I2 has the following effect in addition to the effect of gaming machine I1. That is, at least the storage control means is supplied with power by the power supply means for at least a predetermined period of time even after the power is cut off. Therefore, when the power cut detection means detects that the power is cut off, the storage control means can use that power to reliably store in the storage means information related to the ratio of the number of gaming media paid out based on a win at the first winning slot to the number of gaming media paid out by the payout means, based on information related to a win detected by the win detection means stored in the second storage means.

In the gaming machine I2,
The power supply means supplies the power to the second storage means.

Gaming machine I3 achieves the following effect in addition to the effect achieved by gaming machine I2. That is, power is supplied by the power supply means not only to the memory control means but also to the second memory means for at least a predetermined period of time after the power is cut off. This has the effect of reliably storing in the memory means information related to the ratio of the number of gaming media paid out based on a winning entry into the first winning slot to the number of gaming media paid out by the payout means, based on information about a winning entry detected by the winning entry detection means stored in the second memory means, before the status stored in the second memory means is erased.

In any of the gaming machines A1 to A9, B1 to B6, C1 to C3, D1 to D6, E1 to E3, F1 to F5, G1 to G3, H1 to H3, and I1 to I3,
a second storage control means for storing information regarding the winning detected by the winning detection means in a second storage means;
A determination means for determining that a predetermined opportunity has occurred,
the second storage means is configured to be able to retain stored information even while the power supply is cut off;
The gaming machine I4 is characterized in that, when power is supplied and when the judgment means judges that the specified trigger has occurred, the memory control means stores in the memory means information related to the ratio of the number of gaming media paid out based on a winning entry into the first winning port to the number of gaming media paid out by the payout means, based on information regarding the winning detected by the winning detection means stored in the second memory means.

According to gaming machine I4, in addition to the effects of any of gaming machines A1 to A9, B1 to B6, C1 to C3, D1 to D6, E1 to E3, F1 to F5, G1 to G3, H1 to H3, and I1 to I3, the following effect is achieved. That is, the second storage control means temporarily stores information about the winning detected by the winning detection means in the second storage means. The information stored in the second storage means is retained even while the power is turned off. Then, when power is supplied and when the judgment means judges that a predetermined opportunity has occurred, information related to the ratio of the number of gaming media paid out based on the winning into the first winning port to the number of gaming media paid out by the payout means based on the winning information detected by the winning detection means stored in the second storage means is accumulated and stored in the storage means by the storage control means. As a result, first, by storing information about winning detected by the winning detection means in the second storage means, winnings in the winning port can be reflected in the information stored in the second storage means without missing any. Then, based on the information stored in the second storage means, when power is supplied and each time a predetermined opportunity occurs, all winnings can be reflected, and information related to the ratio of the number of game media paid out based on winnings in the first winning port to the number of game media paid out by the payout means can be stored in the storage means. Therefore, when the power is cut off, information about winning stored in the second storage means and not yet reflected in the storage in the storage means can be reliably reflected in the information stored in the storage means after power is supplied, and the loss of the information stored in the second storage means can be suppressed. Therefore, there is an effect that more accurate information can be output as information related to the ratio of the number of game media paid out based on winnings in the first winning port to the number of game media paid out by the payout means. Furthermore, if information is stored in the storage means based on the information stored in the second storage means when a power outage is detected, the power supply may be interrupted midway through the storage of information in the storage means, which may result in the storage of information in the storage means not reflecting all of the information stored in the second storage means, or incorrect information being stored in the storage means; however, when power is supplied, information is stored in the storage means based on the information stored in the second storage means, which has the effect of preventing such problems from occurring.

In any of the gaming machines A1 to A9, B1 to B6, C1 to C3, D1 to D6, E1 to E3, F1 to F5, G1 to G3, H1 to H3, and I1 to I4,
a second storage control means for storing information regarding the winning detected by the winning detection means in a second storage means;
A determination means for determining that a predetermined opportunity has occurred,
the storage control means, when it is determined by the determination means that the predetermined opportunity has occurred, stores in the storage means information relating to the ratio of the number of the game media paid out based on the winning into the first winning port to the number of the game media paid out by the payout means, based on the information relating to the winning detected by the winning detection means stored in the second storage means;
The predetermined trigger includes the number of game media released into the game area reaching a predetermined number.

According to the gaming machine J1, in addition to the effects of any of the gaming machines A1 to A9, B1 to B6, C1 to C3, D1 to D6, E1 to E3, F1 to F5, G1 to G3, H1 to H3, and I1 to I4, the following effects are achieved. That is, the second storage control means temporarily stores information about the winning detected by the winning detection means in the second storage means. Then, when the judgment means judges that a predetermined opportunity has occurred, information related to the ratio of the number of game media paid out based on the winning into the first winning port to the number of game media paid out by the payout means based on the winning detected by the winning detection means stored in the second storage means is accumulated and stored in the storage means by the storage control means. As a result, by first storing information about the winning detected by the winning detection means in the second storage means, the winning into the winning port can be reflected in the information stored in the second storage means without missing out on the winning. Then, based on the information stored in the second storage means, every time a predetermined opportunity occurs, information related to the ratio of the number of game media paid out based on winning into the first winning port to the number of game media paid out by the payout means can be stored in the storage means, reflecting all winnings. Therefore, there is an effect that more accurate information can be output as information related to the ratio of the number of game media paid out based on winning into the first winning port to the number of game media paid out by the payout means. In addition, since the predetermined opportunity includes the number of game media shot into the play area reaching a predetermined number, it is possible to calculate the ratio (gimmick ratio) of the number of game media paid out based on winning into the first winning port to the number of game media paid out by the payout means when the predetermined game media are shot out. Therefore, since the gimmick ratio can be calculated at the stage when many game media win into various winning ports and are paid out, an averaged gimmick ratio can be calculated. This eliminates short-term fluctuations in the ratio of game elements during normal play, making it easier for those who receive the signal output by the output means to analyze any fraudulent activity.

In any of gaming machines A1 to A9, B1 to B6, C1 to C3, D1 to D6, E1 to E3, F1 to F5, G1 to G3, H1 to H3, I1 to I4, and J1,
a second storage control means for storing information regarding the winning detected by the winning detection means in a second storage means;
A determination means for determining that a predetermined opportunity has occurred,
the storage control means, when it is determined by the determination means that the predetermined opportunity has occurred, stores in the storage means information relating to the ratio of the number of the game media paid out based on the winning into the first winning port to the number of the game media paid out by the payout means, based on the information relating to the winning detected by the winning detection means stored in the second storage means;
The predetermined occasion includes the current time becoming a predetermined time.

According to the gaming machine J2, in addition to the effects of any of the gaming machines A1 to A9, B1 to B6, C1 to C3, D1 to D6, E1 to E3, F1 to F5, G1 to G3, H1 to H3, I1 to I4, and J1, the following effect is achieved. That is, the second storage control means temporarily stores information about the winning detected by the winning detection means in the second storage means. Then, when the judgment means judges that a predetermined opportunity has occurred, information related to the ratio of the number of game media paid out based on the winning into the first winning port to the number of game media paid out by the payout means based on the winning detected by the winning detection means stored in the second storage means is accumulated and stored in the storage means by the storage control means. As a result, by first storing information about the winning detected by the winning detection means in the second storage means, the winning into the winning port can be reflected in the information stored in the second storage means without missing out on the winning. Then, based on the information stored in the second storage means, every time a predetermined opportunity occurs, information related to the ratio of the number of game media paid out based on winning at the first winning port to the number of game media paid out by the payout means can be stored in the storage means, reflecting all winnings. Therefore, there is an effect that more accurate information can be output as information related to the ratio of the number of game media paid out based on winning at the first winning port to the number of game media paid out by the payout means. In addition, since the predetermined opportunity includes the current time being the predetermined time, even in a situation where no game is being played, the arrival of the predetermined time can reliably calculate the ratio of the number of game media paid out based on winning at the first winning port to the number of game media paid out by the payout means (the role ratio). Therefore, there is an effect that the reliably calculated role ratio can reliably analyze the presence or absence of fraudulent activity for those who receive the signal output from the output means.

In any of the gaming machines A1 to A9, B1 to B6, C1 to C3, D1 to D6, E1 to E3, F1 to F5, G1 to G3, H1 to H3, I1 to I4, J1, and J2,
a second storage control means for storing information regarding the winning detected by the winning detection means in a second storage means;
A determination means for determining that a predetermined opportunity has occurred,
the storage control means, when it is determined by the determination means that the predetermined opportunity has occurred, stores in the storage means information relating to the ratio of the number of the game media paid out based on the winning into the first winning port to the number of the game media paid out by the payout means, based on the information relating to the winning detected by the winning detection means stored in the second storage means;
The predetermined trigger includes a cumulative total time during which games have been played reaching a predetermined time.

According to the gaming machine J3, in addition to the effects of any of the gaming machines A1 to A9, B1 to B6, C1 to C3, D1 to D6, E1 to E3, F1 to F5, G1 to G3, H1 to H3, I1 to I4, J1, and J2, the following effect is achieved. That is, the second storage control means temporarily stores information about the winning detected by the winning detection means in the second storage means. Then, when the judgment means judges that a predetermined opportunity has occurred, information related to the ratio of the number of game media paid out based on the winning into the first winning port to the number of game media paid out by the payout means based on the winning detected by the winning detection means stored in the second storage means is accumulated and stored in the storage means by the storage control means. As a result, by first storing information about the winning detected by the winning detection means in the second storage means, the winning into the winning port can be reflected in the information stored in the second storage means without missing out on the winning. Then, based on the information stored in the second storage means, every time a predetermined opportunity occurs, information related to the ratio of the number of game media paid out based on winning at the first winning port to the number of game media paid out by the payout means can be stored in the storage means, reflecting all winnings. Therefore, there is an effect that more accurate information can be output as information related to the ratio of the number of game media paid out based on winning at the first winning port to the number of game media paid out by the payout means. In addition, the predetermined opportunity includes the cumulative time during which the game has been played reaching a predetermined time. Here, the ratio of the number of game media paid out based on winning at the first winning port to the number of game media paid out by the payout means (the role ratio) is originally calculated by performing a test shot test of the game ball for 10 hours. By storing information related to the ratio of the number of game media paid out based on winning at the first winning port to the number of game media paid out by the payout means in the storage means when the game time reaches a predetermined time, a role ratio close to the original definition can be calculated. This has the effect of allowing the receiver of the signal output from the output means to perform analysis using a feature ratio that is close to the original definition.

In any of gaming machines A1 to A9, B1 to B6, C1 to C3, D1 to D6, E1 to E3, F1 to F5, G1 to G3, H1 to H3, I1 to I4, and J1 to J3,
a second storage control means for storing information regarding the winning detected by the winning detection means in a second storage means;
A determination means for determining that a predetermined opportunity has occurred,
the storage control means, when it is determined by the determination means that the predetermined opportunity has occurred, stores in the storage means information relating to the ratio of the number of the game media paid out based on the winning into the first winning port to the number of the game media paid out by the payout means, based on the information relating to the winning detected by the winning detection means stored in the second storage means;
The predetermined trigger includes a cumulative time for which power has been supplied reaching a second predetermined time.

According to gaming machine J4, in addition to the effects achieved by any of gaming machines A1 to A9, B1 to B6, C1 to C3, D1 to D6, E1 to E3, F1 to F5, G1 to G3, H1 to H3, I1 to I4, and J1 to J3, it also achieves the following effects.

That is, the second storage control means temporarily stores information about winning detected by the winning detection means in the second storage means. Then, when the judgment means judges that a predetermined opportunity has occurred, information related to the ratio of the number of game media paid out based on winning into the first winning port to the number of game media paid out by the payout means based on the winning information detected by the winning detection means stored in the second storage means is accumulated and stored in the storage means by the storage control means. Thus, by first storing information about winning detected by the winning detection means in the second storage means, it is possible to reflect winning into the winning port without missing it in the information stored in the second storage means. Then, based on the information stored in the second storage means, it is possible to reflect all winnings and store information related to the ratio of the number of game media paid out based on winning into the first winning port to the number of game media paid out by the payout means in the storage means every time a predetermined opportunity occurs, based on the information stored in the second storage means. Therefore, there is an effect that more accurate information can be output as information related to the ratio of the number of game media paid out based on winning into the first winning port to the number of game media paid out by the payout means. In addition, since the predetermined trigger includes the cumulative time during which power is supplied reaching the second predetermined time, even in a situation where not much play is performed, the ratio (gimmick ratio) of the number of game media paid out based on winning into the first winning port to the number of game media paid out by the payout means can be reliably calculated because the time during which power is supplied reaches the second predetermined time. Therefore, there is an effect that the reliably calculated game ratio can reliably analyze the presence or absence of fraudulent acts for those who receive the signal output from the output means. In any of the gaming machines A1 to A9, B1 to B6, C1 to C3, D1 to D6, E1 to E3, F1 to F5, G1 to G3, H1 to H3, I1 to I4, and J1 to J4,
A main control means for mainly controlling a game is provided,
The main control means includes a calculation means for executing a calculation for performing a main control of a game,
The winning detection means and the payout number setting means, which, when the winning detection means detects that the game medium shot by the shooting means has won in any of the winning ports, sets the number of game media to be paid out based on the winning port in which the game medium has won and notifies the payout means of this, are realized by the execution of a calculation by the calculation means;
the memory control means and the output means are provided in a microchip separate from the performance means,
The microchip comprises:
a second storage control means for storing information regarding the winning detected by the winning detection means in a second storage means;
A determination means for determining that a predetermined opportunity has occurred,
the storage control means, when it is determined by the determination means that the predetermined opportunity has occurred, stores in the storage means information relating to the ratio of the number of the game media paid out based on the winning into the first winning port to the number of the game media paid out by the payout means, based on the information relating to the winning detected by the winning detection means stored in the second storage means;
The main control means
a predetermined trigger information storage means for storing information indicating the predetermined trigger,
The computing means executes a start-up process when the main control means is powered on,
The start-up process includes a process for transmitting information indicating a predetermined trigger to the microchip based on the information stored in the predetermined trigger information storage means.

Gaming machine J5 provides the following effects in addition to the effects provided by any of gaming machines A1 to A9, B1 to B6, C1 to C3, D1 to D6, E1 to E3, F1 to F5, G1 to G3, H1 to H3, I1 to I4, and J1 to J4. That is, the main control means that performs the main control of the game is provided with a calculation means that executes calculations for performing that control, and the winning detection means and the payout number setting means that, when the winning detection means detects that the gaming medium fired by the firing means has won in any winning port, sets the number of gaming media to be paid out based on the winning port in which the gaming medium won and notifies the payout means of this, are realized by the execution of calculations by the main calculation means. On the other hand, the memory control means for accumulating and storing in the memory means information related to the ratio of the number of game media paid out based on winning at the first winning port to the number of game media paid out by the payout means, and the output means for outputting at least a signal based on the information accumulated and stored in the memory means are provided on a microchip separate from the calculation means. This has the effect of making it possible to output a signal based on information related to the ratio of the number of game media paid out based on winning at the first winning port to the number of game media paid out by the payout means, simply by providing a separate microchip, without having to significantly rewrite the calculation instructions (program) executed by the calculation means.

In addition, since a signal based on information related to the ratio of the number of game media paid out based on winning into the first winning port to the number of game media paid out by the payout means is output, the increase in the processing load on the calculation means can be suppressed, and most of the processing capacity of the calculation means can be used for the main control of the game. In addition, in the microchip, the information related to the winning detected by the winning detection means is temporarily stored in the second storage means by the second storage control means. Then, when the judgment means judges that a predetermined opportunity has occurred, information related to the ratio of the number of game media paid out based on winning into the first winning port to the number of game media paid out by the payout means is accumulated and stored in the storage means by the storage control means based on the information related to the winning detected by the winning detection means stored in the second storage means. As a result, by first storing information related to the winning detected by the winning detection means in the second storage means, the winning into the winning port can be reflected in the information stored in the second storage means without missing it. Then, based on the information stored in the second storage means, each time a predetermined trigger occurs, information relating to the ratio of the number of game media paid out based on a win in the first winning slot to the number of game media paid out by the payout means, reflecting all wins, can be stored in the storage means. This has the effect of making it possible to output more accurate information relating to the ratio of the number of game media paid out based on a win in the first winning slot to the number of game media paid out by the payout means.

On the other hand, the main control means stores the predetermined trigger in a predetermined trigger information storage means. The calculation means executes a start-up process when the main control means is powered on, and during the start-up process, information indicating the predetermined trigger is transmitted to the microchip based on the information stored in the predetermined trigger information storage means. Here, the storage of information regarding the ratio (gimmick ratio) of the number of game media paid out based on winning into the first winning slot to the number of game media paid out by the payout means is physically limited by the storage capacity of the storage means that stores information regarding the gimmick ratio, so it is preferable that the microchip does not fix the stored trigger, but rather takes into account the probability of a jackpot and the probability of a special bonus in the gaming machine. Therefore, by having the main control means store the predetermined trigger in the predetermined trigger information storage means, and by transmitting information indicating the predetermined trigger to the microchip each time the power is turned on, the microchip can store information in the storage means regarding the ratio (gimmick ratio) of the number of gaming media paid out based on winning at the first winning slot to the number of gaming media paid out by the payout means at a predetermined trigger that matches the probability of a jackpot or the probability of a special bonus in the gaming machine.

In any of the gaming machines A1 to A9, B1 to B6, C1 to C3, D1 to D6, E1 to E3, F1 to F5, G1 to G3, H1 to H3, I1 to I4, and J1 to J5,
a third storage control means for accumulating information indicating a gaming state of the gaming machine and storing the information in a third storage means;
The output means outputs information indicating the gaming state of the gaming machine stored in the third storage means.

Gaming machine K1 has the following effect in addition to the effect of any of gaming machines A1 to A9, B1 to B6, C1 to C3, D1 to D6, E1 to E3, F1 to F5, G1 to G3, H1 to H3, I1 to I4, and J1 to J5. That is, information indicating the gaming state of the gaming machine is accumulated and stored in the third storage means by the third storage control means. The information indicating the gaming state of the gaming machine stored in the third storage means is output by the output means. This has the effect that anyone who receives a signal output by the output means can analyze the gaming state of the gaming machine and find the cause if fraudulent activity is suspected.

In the gaming machine K1,
A door frame covering the front of the play area is provided,
The gaming machine K2 is characterized in that the gaming state of the gaming machine stored as information in the third storage means includes a state in which the door frame is open.

Gaming machine K2 has the following effect in addition to the effect of gaming machine K1. That is, the gaming state of the gaming machine stored as information in the third storage means includes a state in which the door frame covering the front of the gaming area is open, so that a person who receives a signal output from the output means can determine whether or not there is a possibility of fraudulent activity from the occurrence of the state in which the door frame is open.

In the gaming machine K1 or K2,
The gaming state of the gaming machine stored as information in the third storage means includes an error state of the gaming machine.

Gaming machine K3 has the following effect in addition to the effect of gaming machines K1 and K2. That is, the gaming state of the gaming machine stored as information in the third storage means includes the error state of the gaming machine, so that a person who receives a signal output from the output means can determine whether or not there is a possibility of fraudulent activity from the occurrence of the error state of the gaming machine.

In any one of the gaming machines K1 to K3,
The gaming state of the gaming machine stored as information in the third storage means includes a winning state in which a predetermined gaming value is awarded to a player.

Gaming machine K4 has the following effect in addition to the effect of any of gaming machines K1 to K3. That is, the gaming state of the gaming machine stored as information in the third storage means includes a winning state in which a predetermined gaming value is awarded to the player, so that a person who receives a signal output from the output means can determine whether or not there is a possibility of fraudulent activity based on the occurrence of a winning state of the gaming machine.

In any one of the gaming machines K1 to K4,
Gaming machine K5, characterized in that the gaming status of the gaming machine stored as information in the third memory means includes a state in which the winning detection means detects that a prize has been won in any of the winning slots within a predetermined period of time.

Gaming machine K5 has the following effect in addition to the effect of any of gaming machines K1 to K4. That is, the gaming state of the gaming machine stored as information in the third storage means includes a state in which the winning detection means detects that a prize has been won at any of the winning slots within a specified time. Therefore, anyone who receives a signal output from the output means can determine whether or not there is a possibility of fraudulent activity based on whether or not the state includes a winning event outside of business hours, such as late at night.

A gaming machine comprising a lottery means for drawing a winning lottery based on the establishment of a starting condition, and which provides a player with advantageous gaming value when the result of the lottery drawn by the lottery means is a winning lottery,
a game area provided with a plurality of winning holes including a first winning hole having a device that operates based on a game;
A launching means for launching a gaming medium into the gaming area;
a winning detection means provided for each of the winning openings, for detecting the winning of the game medium into the corresponding winning opening;
a payout means for paying out a predetermined number of game media to the winning port in which the game medium shot by the shot means has won when the winning detection means detects that the game medium shot by the shot means has won in the winning port;
a memory control means for accumulating and storing in a memory means information relating to a ratio of the number of the game media paid out based on a win in the first winning port to the number of the game media paid out by the payout means;
an output means for outputting at least a signal based on the information cumulatively stored in the storage means;
A change means for changing the probability of winning in the lottery by the lottery means;
and an erasing means for erasing all of the information accumulated and stored in the memory means when the probability is changed by the changing means.

According to the gaming machine L1, a game medium is shot by a shooting means into a game area provided with a plurality of winning ports, including a first winning port having a role that operates based on a game. Each winning port is provided with a winning detection means for detecting the winning of the game medium. Then, when the winning detection means detects that the game medium shot by the shooting means has won any of the winning ports, a predetermined number of game media is paid out by a payout means to the winning port in which the game medium won. Also, information related to the ratio of the number of game media paid out based on the winning of the first winning port to the number of game media paid out by the payout means is stored in a storage means by a storage control means. Then, a signal based on at least the information stored in the storage means is output by an output means. This has the effect of making it possible to analyze the role ratio, which is the ratio of the number of game media paid out in conjunction with the winning of the winning port to the number due to the first winning port (i.e., the operation of the role) based on the output signal, and discovering fraudulent behavior based on the role ratio. On the other hand, when the probability of winning is changed by the change means in the lottery by the lottery means, which is the opportunity to award a player a favorable gaming value, the information accumulated and stored in the storage means is all erased by the erasure means. When the probability of winning is changed, the ratio of the prizes also changes. Therefore, if the information accumulated and stored in the storage means before the probability of winning is changed remains as it is, it becomes unclear whether the change in the ratio of prizes that can be analyzed based on the accumulated and stored information is due to the change in the probability of winning or due to fraud. In contrast, when the probability of winning is changed, all the information accumulated and stored in the storage means is erased, which has the effect of eliminating the effect of the change in the ratio of prizes that accompanies the change in the probability of winning from remaining in the storage means.

In the gaming machine L1,
The gaming machine L2 is characterized in that the memory control means stores information indicating that a change has been made in the memory means when the probability is changed by the change means.

Gaming machine L2 has the following effect in addition to the effect of gaming machine L1. That is, when the probability of winning is changed by the change means, information indicating that the change has been made is stored in the storage means by the memory control means. This has the effect that it is possible to know at the analysis stage that the information stored in the storage means has been erased due to a change in the probability of winning, and this can be used as a reference for determining whether or not cheating has occurred.

In the gaming machine L2,
The gaming machine L3 is characterized in that, when the probability is changed by the change means, the memory control means stores information indicating that the change was made in the memory means together with information indicating the date and time when the change was made.

Gaming machine L3 has the following effect in addition to the effect of gaming machine L2. That is, when the probability of winning is changed by the change means, information indicating that the change was made is stored in the storage means by the storage control means together with information indicating the date and time when the change was made. This has the effect of making it possible to know at the analysis stage that the information stored in the storage means was erased due to a change in the probability of winning, and also to know the date and time when the change was made (i.e., the erasure was made), thereby making it possible to more reliably determine whether or not cheating has occurred.

In the gaming machine L2 or L3,
The gaming machine L4 is characterized in that, when the probability is changed by the change means, the memory control means stores information indicating that the change has been made in the memory means together with information indicating the probability of winning after the change.

Gaming machine L4 has the following effect in addition to the effect of gaming machines L2 or L3. That is, when the probability of winning is changed by the change means, information indicating that the change has been made is stored in the storage means by the storage control means together with information indicating the probability of winning after the change. This makes it possible to know at the analysis stage that the information stored in the storage means has been erased due to a change in the probability of winning, and also to know the probability of winning after the change, resulting in the effect of being able to more reliably determine whether or not cheating has occurred while also knowing the probability of winning after the change.

In any one of gaming machines L2 to L4,
The gaming machine L5 is characterized in that, when the probability is changed by the change means, the memory control means stores information indicating that the change has been made in the memory means together with information indicating the probability of winning before the change.

Gaming machine L5 has the following effect in addition to the effects of gaming machines L2 to L4. That is, when the probability of winning is changed by the change means, information indicating that the change has been made is stored in the storage means by the storage control means together with information indicating the probability of winning before the change. This makes it possible to know at the analysis stage that the information stored in the storage means has been erased due to a change in the probability of winning, and also to know the probability of winning before the change, resulting in the effect of being able to more reliably determine whether or not cheating has occurred while also knowing the probability of winning before the change.

A gaming machine comprising a lottery means for drawing a winning lottery based on the establishment of a starting condition, and which provides a player with advantageous gaming value when the result of the lottery drawn by the lottery means is a winning lottery,
A game area provided with a plurality of winning holes including a first winning hole having a device that operates based on a game;
A launching means for launching a gaming medium into the gaming area;
a winning detection means provided for each of the winning openings, for detecting the winning of the game medium into the corresponding winning opening;
a payout means for paying out a predetermined number of game media to the winning port in which the game medium shot by the shot means has won when the winning detection means detects that the game medium shot by the shot means has won in the winning port;
a memory control means for accumulating and storing in a memory means information relating to the ratio of the number of the game media paid out based on a win in the first winning port to the number of the game media paid out by the payout means;
an output means for outputting at least a signal based on the information cumulatively stored in the storage means;
a change means for changing the probability of winning in the lottery by the lottery means,
The information accumulated and stored in the storage means continues to be held even when the probability is changed by the changing means.

According to the gaming machine M1, a game medium is shot by a shooting means into a game area provided with a plurality of winning ports, including a first winning port having a role that operates based on a game. Each winning port is provided with a winning detection means for detecting the winning of the game medium. Then, when the winning detection means detects that the game medium shot by the shooting means has won any of the winning ports, a predetermined number of game media is paid out by a payout means to the winning port in which the game medium won. Also, information related to the ratio of the number of game media paid out based on the winning of the first winning port to the number of game media paid out by the payout means is stored in a storage means by a storage control means. Then, a signal based on at least the information stored in the storage means is output by an output means. This has the effect of being able to analyze the role ratio, which is the ratio of the number of game media paid out in conjunction with the winning of the winning port to the number of game media due to the first winning port (i.e., the operation of the role) based on the output signal, and being able to detect fraudulent behavior based on the role ratio. On the other hand, in the lottery by the lottery means, which is the opportunity to award advantageous game value to the player, all information stored in the storage means continues to be held even if the probability of winning is changed by the change means. This has the effect of making it possible to analyze whether or not there has been fraud before the probability of winning is changed, although the ratio of the winning devices changes as the probability of winning changes.

In the gaming machine M1,
The gaming machine M2 is characterized in that the memory control means, when the probability is changed by the change means, stores information indicating that the change has been made in the memory means.

Gaming machine M2 has the following effect in addition to the effect of gaming machine M1. That is, when the probability of winning is changed by the change means, information indicating that the change has been made is stored in the storage means by the memory control means. This has the effect that it is possible to grasp at the analysis stage that the ratio of the roles has changed due to the change in the probability of winning, and this can be used as a reference for determining whether or not cheating has occurred.

In the gaming machine M2,
The gaming machine M3 is characterized in that, when the probability is changed by the change means, the memory control means stores information indicating that the change was made in the memory means together with information indicating the date and time when the change was made.

Gaming machine M3 has the following effect in addition to the effect of gaming machine M2. That is, when the probability of winning is changed by the change means, information indicating that the change was made is stored in the storage means by the storage control means together with information indicating the date and time when the change was made. This has the effect that since the date and time when the probability of winning was changed can be easily grasped, if the ratio of the winning devices changes after that, it can be easily determined during analysis that this may be due to a change in the probability of winning.

In gaming machine M2 or M3,
The gaming machine M4 is characterized in that, when the probability is changed by the change means, the memory control means stores information indicating that the change has been made in the memory means together with information indicating the probability of winning after the change.

Gaming machine M4 has the following effect in addition to the effect of gaming machines M2 and M3. That is, when the probability of winning is changed by the change means, information indicating that the change has been made is stored in the storage means by the storage control means together with information indicating the probability of winning after the change. This has the effect of making it possible to grasp the probability of winning after the change, and therefore to more reliably determine whether or not cheating has occurred while also knowing the probability of winning after the change.

In any one of gaming machines M2 to M4,
The gaming machine M5 is characterized in that, when the probability is changed by the change means, the memory control means stores information indicating that the change has been made in the memory means together with information indicating the probability of winning before the change.

Gaming machine M5 has the following effect in addition to the effects of gaming machines M2 to M4. That is, when the probability of winning is changed by the change means, information indicating that the change has been made is stored in the memory means by the memory control means together with information indicating the probability of winning before the change. This has the effect of making it possible to grasp the probability of winning before the change, and therefore to more reliably determine whether or not cheating has occurred while also knowing the probability of winning before the change.

In any one of gaming machines M1 to M5,
A display means for displaying information related to the ratio of the game parts based on the information stored in the storage means,
The display means is characterized in that when the probability is changed by the change means, the display means displays information relating to the ratio of the prizes based only on the information stored after the change.

Gaming machine M6 has the following effect in addition to the effects of gaming machines M1 to M5. That is, the display means displays information related to the ratio of prizes based on the information stored in the storage means. At this time, if the probability is changed by the change means, the information related to the ratio of prizes is displayed based only on the information stored after the change. This has the effect that the information related to the ratio of prizes displayed on the display means can exclude changes in the ratio of prizes that accompany changes in the probability of a win, making it easier to detect fraudulent behavior after the probability of a win is changed.

In any one of gaming machines M1 to M6,
The memory control means divides the information into the probabilities that can be set by the change made by the change means, and accumulates and stores the information in the memory means.

Gaming machine M7 has the following effect in addition to the effects of gaming machines M1 to M6. That is, the information stored in the storage means is divided into each probability of winning that can be set by the change made by the change means, and is accumulated and stored in the storage means. This makes it easy to determine the ratio of the reels when each probability of winning that can be set is set from the information stored in the storage means. This has the effect of making it possible to clearly switch between and analyze the change in the ratio of the reels associated with a change in the probability of winning and the change in the ratio of the reels associated with fraudulent activity.

A gaming machine comprising a lottery means for drawing a winning lottery based on the establishment of a starting condition, and which provides a player with advantageous gaming value when the result of the lottery drawn by the lottery means is a winning lottery,
a game area provided with a plurality of winning holes including a first winning hole having a device that operates based on a game;
A launching means for launching a gaming medium into the gaming area;
a winning detection means provided for each of the winning openings, for detecting the winning of the game medium into the corresponding winning opening;
a payout means for paying out a predetermined number of game media to the winning port in which the game medium shot by the shot means has won when the winning detection means detects that the game medium shot by the shot means has won in the winning port;
a memory control means for accumulating and storing in a memory means information relating to the ratio of the number of the game media paid out based on a win in the first winning port to the number of the game media paid out by the payout means;
an output means for outputting at least a signal based on the information cumulatively stored in the storage means;
A change means for changing the probability of winning in the lottery by the lottery means;
The gaming machine N1 is characterized by comprising an erasing means for erasing all of the information accumulated and stored in the memory means except for a portion of the information most recently stored when the probability is changed by the changing means.

According to the gaming machine N1, a game medium is launched by a launching means into a game area provided with a plurality of winning ports, including a first winning port having a role that operates based on a game. Each winning port is provided with a winning detection means for detecting the winning of the game medium. When the winning detection means detects that the game medium launched by the launching means has won any of the winning ports, a predetermined number of game media is paid out by a payout means to the winning port in which the game medium won. In addition, information related to the ratio of the number of game media paid out based on the winning of the first winning port to the number of game media paid out by the payout means is stored in a storage means by a storage control means. Then, a signal based on at least the information stored in the storage means is output by an output means. This has the effect of analyzing the role ratio, which is the ratio of the number of game media paid out in conjunction with the winning of the winning port to the number of game media due to the first winning port (i.e., the operation of the role) based on the output signal, and discovering fraudulent behavior based on the role ratio. On the other hand, when the probability of winning is changed by the change means in the lottery by the lottery means, which is an opportunity to award a player a favorable game value, the information stored in the storage means is erased by the erase means, except for a portion of the information most recently stored. When the probability of winning is changed, the ratio of the prizes also changes. Therefore, if the information stored in the storage means before the probability of winning is changed remains as it is, it is unclear whether the change in the ratio of the prizes that can be analyzed based on the information stored in the storage means is due to the change in the probability of winning or due to fraudulent activity. In contrast, when the probability of winning is changed, the information stored in the storage means is erased except for a portion of the information most recently stored, so that the effect of the change in the ratio of the prizes due to the change in the probability of winning can be minimized from remaining in the storage means, while it is possible to analyze whether or not there is a possibility of fraudulent activity occurring before the probability of winning is changed.

In the gaming machine N1,
The gaming machine N2 is characterized in that the memory control means stores information indicating that a change has been made in the memory means when the probability is changed by the change means.

Gaming machine N2 has the following effect in addition to the effect of gaming machine N1. That is, when the probability of winning is changed by the change means, information indicating that the change has been made is stored in the storage means by the memory control means. This has the effect that it is possible to know at the analysis stage that the ratio of the roles has changed due to the change in the probability of winning, and it is possible to know at the analysis stage that the information stored in the storage means has been erased due to the change in the probability of winning, and this can be used as a reference for determining whether or not cheating has occurred.

In the gaming machine N2,
The gaming machine N3 is characterized in that, when the probability is changed by the change means, the memory control means stores information indicating that the change was made in the memory means together with information indicating the date and time when the change was made.

Gaming machine N3 has the following effect in addition to the effect of gaming machine N2. That is, when the probability of winning is changed by the change means, information indicating that the change was made is stored in the storage means by the storage control means together with information indicating the date and time when the change was made. This makes it possible to know at the analysis stage that the ratio of the roles has changed due to the change in the probability of winning, and to know at the analysis stage that the information stored in the storage means has been erased due to the change in the probability of winning. Furthermore, the date and time when the change was made (i.e., the erasure was made) can also be known, which has the effect of making it possible to more reliably determine whether or not cheating has occurred.

In the gaming machine N2 or N3,
The gaming machine N4 is characterized in that, when the probability is changed by the change means, the memory control means stores information indicating that the change has been made in the memory means together with information indicating the probability of winning after the change.

Gaming machine N4 has the following effect in addition to the effect of gaming machines N2 and N3. That is, when the probability of winning is changed by the change means, information indicating that the change has been made is stored in the storage means by the storage control means together with information indicating the probability of winning after the change. This makes it possible to grasp at the analysis stage that the ratio of the roles has changed due to the change in the probability of winning, and to grasp at the analysis stage that the information stored in the storage means has been erased due to the change in the probability of winning. Furthermore, since the probability of winning after the change can also be grasped, it has the effect of making it possible to more reliably determine whether or not cheating has occurred while also knowing the probability of winning after the change.

In any one of gaming machines N2 to N4,
The gaming machine N5 is characterized in that, when the probability is changed by the change means, the memory control means stores information indicating that the change has been made in the memory means together with information indicating the probability of winning before the change.

Gaming machine N5 has the following effect in addition to the effects of gaming machines N2 to N4. That is, when the probability of winning is changed by the change means, information indicating that the change has been made is stored in the storage means by the storage control means together with information indicating the probability of winning before the change. This makes it possible to grasp at the analysis stage that the ratio of the roles has changed due to the change in the probability of winning, and to grasp at the analysis stage that the information stored in the storage means has been erased due to the change in the probability of winning. Furthermore, since the probability of winning before the change can also be grasped, it has the effect of making it possible to more reliably determine whether or not cheating has occurred while also knowing the probability of winning before the change.

A gaming machine comprising a lottery means for drawing a winning lottery based on the establishment of a starting condition, and which provides a player with advantageous gaming value when the result of the lottery drawn by the lottery means is a winning lottery,
a game area provided with a plurality of winning holes including a first winning hole having a device that operates based on a game;
A launching means for launching a gaming medium into the gaming area;
a winning detection means provided for each of the winning openings, for detecting the winning of the game medium into the corresponding winning opening;
a payout means for paying out a predetermined number of game media to the winning port in which the game medium shot by the shot means has won when the winning detection means detects that the game medium shot by the shot means has won in the winning port;
a memory control means for accumulating and storing in a memory means information relating to the ratio of the number of the game media paid out based on a win in the first winning port to the number of the game media paid out by the payout means;
an output means for outputting at least a signal based on the information cumulatively stored in the storage means;
A display means for displaying information related to the ratio of the game parts based on the information stored in the storage means;
a mode switching means for switching to a mode for changing the probability of winning in the lottery by the lottery means;
a means for displaying, when the mode switching means switches to the change mode, a value indicating the probability of winning to be changed on the display means;
The gaming machine O1 is characterized by comprising a setting means for setting the probability of winning to the desired value displayed on the display means as the probability of winning when the mode for changing the probability of winning is completed.

According to the gaming machine O1, a game medium is shot by a shooting means into a game area provided with a plurality of winning ports, including a first winning port having a role that operates based on a game. Each winning port is provided with a winning detection means for detecting the winning of the game medium. Then, when the winning detection means detects that the game medium shot by the shooting means has won any of the winning ports, a predetermined number of game media is paid out by a payout means to the winning port in which the game medium won. Also, information related to the ratio of the number of game media paid out based on the winning of the first winning port to the number of game media paid out by the payout means is stored in a storage means by a storage control means. Then, a signal based on at least the information stored in the storage means is output by an output means. This has the effect of analyzing the role ratio, which is the ratio of the number of game media paid out in conjunction with the winning of the winning port to the number due to the first winning port (i.e., the operation of the role) based on the output signal, and discovering fraudulent behavior based on the role ratio. Furthermore, since the display means displays information related to the ratio of winning combinations based on the information stored in the storage means, it has the effect of easily determining whether or not fraud has occurred by looking at the display means. On the other hand, when the mode switching means switches to a mode for changing the probability of winning in the lottery by the lottery means, the display means displays a value indicating the probability of winning to be changed. Then, when the mode for changing the probability of winning is terminated, the setting means sets the probability of winning to be changed, displayed on the display means, as the probability of winning. This allows the display means for displaying information related to the ratio of winning combinations to be used as the display means for displaying the probability of winning to be changed when the probability of winning is to be changed. This has the effect of preventing an increase in the number of display means to be installed in the gaming machine.

Gaming machine L1 is a slot machine in any one of gaming machines A1 to A9, B1 to B6, C1 to C3, D1 to D6, E1 to E3, F1 to F5, G1 to G3, H1 to H3, I1 to I4, J1 to J5, K1 to K5, L1 to L5, M1 to M6, N1 to N5, and O1. Among them, the basic configuration of a slot machine is "a gaming machine equipped with a variable display means for dynamically displaying a sequence of identification information consisting of a plurality of identification information and then displaying the identification information in a definite manner, and equipped with a special game state generating means for generating a special game state advantageous to a player, the dynamic display of the identification information being started due to the operation of a start operation means (e.g., an operation lever), the dynamic display of the identification information being stopped due to the operation of a stop operation means (a stop button) or by the passage of a predetermined time, and the necessary condition being that the determined identification information at the time of the stop is a specific identification information." In this case, typical examples of the game medium include coins and medals.

Gaming machine L2 is a pachinko gaming machine in any one of gaming machines A1 to A9, B1 to B6, C1 to C3, D1 to D6, E1 to E3, F1 to F5, G1 to G3, H1 to H3, I1 to I4, J1 to J5, K1 to K5, L1 to L5, M1 to M6, N1 to N5, and O1. Among them, the basic configuration of a pachinko gaming machine includes an operation handle, a ball is launched into a predetermined play area in response to the operation of the operation handle, and the identification information dynamically displayed on the display means is fixed and stopped after a predetermined time, with the necessary condition being that the ball enters (or passes through) an operating port arranged at a predetermined position in the play area. In addition, when a special game state occurs, a variable prize device (big prize opening) located at a specific position within the game area opens in a specific manner, allowing balls to enter the game, and a value (including not only prize balls but also data written to a magnetic card, etc.) is awarded according to the number of winning balls.

Gaming machine L3 is characterized in that in any of gaming machines A1 to A9, B1 to B6, C1 to C3, D1 to D6, E1 to E3, F1 to F5, G1 to G3, H1 to H3, I1 to I4, J1 to J5, K1 to K5, L1 to L5, M1 to M6, N1 to N5, and O1, the gaming machine is a fusion of a pachinko gaming machine and a slot machine. Among these, the basic configuration of the combined gaming machine is "a gaming machine equipped with a variable display means for dynamically displaying a string of identification information consisting of a plurality of identification information and then definitively displaying the identification information, a gaming machine equipped with a special gaming state generating means for generating a special gaming state advantageous to the player, the dynamic display of the identification information being stopped by the operation of a start operating means (e.g., an operating lever) and stopped by the operation of a stop operating means (e.g., a stop button) or after a predetermined time has passed, the definitive identification information at the time of stopping being a specific identification information as a necessary condition, the gaming machine using balls as gaming media, requiring a predetermined number of balls to start the dynamic display of the identification information, and configured to pay out a large number of balls when the special gaming state is generated."

In addition, the "balls" described in each of the above embodiments correspond to the "game medium" in the claims, the "game feature ratio" described in each of the above embodiments corresponds to the "ratio of the number of game media paid out based on a win at the first winning port to the number of game media paid out by the payout means" in the claims, and the "continuous game feature ratio" described in each of the above embodiments corresponds to the "ratio of the number of game media paid out based on a win at the second winning port to the number of game media paid out by the payout means" in the claims.
(others)
Conventionally, there are gaming machines in which a launching means launches gaming media into a gaming area provided with a plurality of winning slots, and when the gaming media enters one of the winning slots, a predetermined number of gaming media is paid out to the player for the winning slot. Some winning slots are provided with a role-playing device, and the operation of the role-playing device affects the winning of the gaming media (for example, Patent Document 1: JP 2003-340046 A).
Now, among fraudsters, there are those who try to increase the number of winnings at winning slots equipped with bonuses by fraudulently activating the bonuses at the winning slots equipped with bonuses or by guiding game media to win at those winning slots. However, there are insufficient measures to detect such fraudulent behavior.
The present technical idea has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a gaming machine that is capable of appropriately detecting fraudulent activity.

10. Pachinko machines (amusement machines)
63a First regular prize slot (prize slot)
63b 2nd regular prize slot (prize slot)
64a First starting hole (winning hole, first winning hole)
64b Second starting hole (winning hole, first winning hole)
65a Main prize slot (prize slot, first prize slot, second prize slot)
100: Substrate box 110: Main control device (main control means)
111 Dispensing control device (dispensing means)
112a Ball launching unit (launching means)
201 MPU (computing means)
202e Number of prize balls table (payout information storage means)
202f trigger information data (predetermined trigger information storage means)
207 Role ratio management chip (microchip)
208a First start switch (winning detection means)
208b Second start switch (winning detection means)
208c First normal winning port switch (winning detection means)
208d Second normal winning port switch (winning detection means)
208e Large prize opening switch (prize detection means)
261 CPU (external device connection detection means, second calculation means, ratio calculation means)
263 First reading memory (second storage means)
264 Second reading memory (storage means, third storage means)
267 Capacitor (power supply means)
207a Inspection terminal (external device connection means)
300 Inspection device (external device)
S152 (Payout amount setting means)
S717 (Power interruption detection means)
S728 (Second memory control means)
S729 (determination means)
S740, S741 (Memory control means, ratio calculation means)
S723 (Third memory control means)
S761 (Memory control means)
S751 to S754, S771, S772 (output means)

Claims (1)

A launch means; and
a flow-down area in which the game balls shot by the shooting means flow down;
A plurality of predetermined detection means for detecting game balls that have passed through a predetermined area of the flow-down area;
A game ball guide member provided in correspondence with a part of the predetermined area and controlling passage of the game ball to the corresponding predetermined area;
a game value providing means electrically connected to the plurality of predetermined detection means and executing a process for providing a game value for a game;
An awarding means for awarding game balls as the game value;
a processing execution means that is electrically connected to the game value granting means and executes a predetermined process for indicating the game value to be granted based on information regarding the passage of the game ball into the predetermined area where the game ball guide member is provided, without transmitting or receiving a control signal to or from the granting means;
A gaming machine comprising:
The game value providing means includes:
a first reference information storage means for storing reference information used in a process for providing a game value to the game, the reference information being referenced in response to detection by the predetermined detection means;
a first transmitting means for transmitting a reference information signal corresponding to the reference information stored in the first reference information storage means to the process executing means after a predetermined supply of power to the gaming machine is started and before execution of a specific process for progressing a game is started;
a second transmitting means for transmitting a predetermined information signal based on the ball-entering information, which is information acquired based on the detection by the predetermined detecting means, to the processing executing means;
Equipped with
The process execution means includes:
a second reference information storage means for storing reference information corresponding to the reference information signal transmitted from the game value providing means;
an execution means for executing the predetermined process based on the predetermined information signal transmitted from the second transmission means and the reference information stored in the second reference information storage means;
a processing result information storage means for storing processing result information which is information regarding the processing result of the predetermined processing by the execution means;
a display control means for controlling a predetermined display means based on the processing result information;
the game value providing means and the processing execution means are each configured using integrated circuits integrated on a different semiconductor chip,
A gaming machine characterized in that, when power is cut off, the second reference information storage means can lose the reference information stored therein.

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